Travis County Commissioners Court
January 25, 2005
Item 12
12. Approve twelve-month extension (modification no. 7) to contract no. 03t00074oj, refuse collection, with waste management of Texas.
>> anybody here for purchasing? Good morning. I'm from the purchasing office. This is a two-month extension to our contract with waste management. It does incorporate some changes to locations and container sizes for the 12-month period. This is for pick up by waste management of refuse throughout the county. The county building.
>> basically, what, I know you generally described it. Adding some places, taking away some others.
>> changing location sizes, I mean container sizes, dumpster sizes.
>> because of the amount of waste that we are generating.
>> actually it's going down.
>> yes, going down, decreases by 25070ed.
>> we decreased the size of the container because of the reduction in waste, that results in reduction of cost to the county.
>> yes, sir.
>> the other thing is, the main thing I guess is that it would extend the current contract for --
>> through January 31 of 2006.
>> basically one year.
>> okay.
>> I'm joyce thorson from walnut place neighborhood association. I just feel that incumbent on myself to come and point out that you are contracting with a company that has been fined, you are receiving fined money -- fine money for projects and it doesn't make sense to me to contract with the company that has received pollution fines. The other point that I would like to make is both of these northeast landfills have announced their plans for expansions and any -- any contracts that you do with the northeast landfills are not helping us fight the expansions. Those are my two points. Thanks.
>> okay. Ms. English?
>> good morning, my name is trek english. I was hoping that perhaps you would reconsider your bid with this particular company. As you know, we are still having odor problems. You are not getting as many complaints because even when we have meetings that people are so disgusted they don't even want to talk about the odors because nothing has been done to address the odors that continue to linger in at least the three-mile radius. When we have this cold weather, this has been going on for months. We have been having -- having odors every time that we've had a cold front. You know how the weather has been very cold, then very warm, very cold, very warm. And so it's this yo-yo type of effect. And my concern is that because of the problem that you're having at your own landfill, and because you keep giving them additional contracts, they feel that -- that they don't have to address the problems. I mean we can't talk to them about odors because they don't want to. They want to talk about wildlife habitats, other things that makes them look good, but they don't want to deal with odors. When you try to deal with odors, you try to get urs to deal with it and give you some input as to what could be done, the end result was an expansion. When we talk to them about the investigation of the industrial unit, the end result was still an expansion. Everything that we have done or not we've done, that you have done to address the problem of these landfills, whether it was their location, their expansion, their odors, their crummy landfill practices because they are crummy because I just can't see why they -- they continually have odors outside of their -- of their landfills and the -- and the other landfills don't. And all it boils down to is always the expansion, the expansion. And so how can we establish a rapport with a company that only has one thing in mind and is not trying to bridge this gap that they have created by -- by this problem and by you giving them your continuous renewal of these contracts. You are not helping. These are old landfills. I don't think we should be expanding landfills that -- that -- that date from 1970 and have -- have 70% of the landfill under the old rules. All we're looking at is the frosting, oh, yes they are doing everything right at the top of the cake but, you know, it's like if you boarded your house up from the second floor down, they just build this beautiful third floor and entertain there, but the whole bottom is boarded up because it's crumbling. That's what we are talking about. They have some serious problem underneath this nice little frosting and we are not dealing with them. We are just dealing with the frosting and how well they are meeting landfill rules today on the top part of their landfill. The bottom is what we're smelling. There's something wrong that after a -- after it they installed this hoover dam gas collection system, they are not able to contain the gases to such an extent that we don't have overwhelming odors two miles away. These are not garbage odors, they are gas odors. I think this just encourages them to continue their practices and you are not addressing the fact that there's still a lingering problems with odors, I just wish that you would reconsider and deal with them on a different basis than just keeping, you know, just to give them contracts over and over. There's a serious problem there and nobody wants to address it. Wildlife habitat is not going to make the odors go away, as much as I would love to give them some input because I love birds and plants and things, it's hard to deal with them because all they really want out of it is okay are you going to sign-off on our expansion. Thank you.
>> move approval of item 12.
>> and let me say this to you, trek. Please sit down. Trek?
>> trek?
>> I'm sorry?
>> I -- and I understand what you are saying. I mean, it's very critical I think to me and the community to let them know that we are, you know, trying to do something about this. I know that I am. And I know that the last time that wmi were here along with their plat proposal that they came in with, it was one of the things that was also discussed, it was also a status of their relocation of these two landfills out of this site. Off of the 290 area where it wouldn't impact the community as it's impacted them now. Of course that status report should be I guess due here pretty soon. It's going to be another item on the agenda, look at this to make sure that they are doing what they are supposed to do as far as looking for another site, as far as relocation. I'm being mindful of this, I want you to still continue to do what you are doing. Of course I can't support this particular contract. So -- so thank you for your comments.
>> thank you so much, also.
>> any more discussion on the motion. All in favor? Show commissions Sonleitner, Gomez, court, yours truly voting in favor. Voting against Commissioner Davis.
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Last Modified:
Tuesday, January 26, 2005 8:31 AM