Big Night Ahead for Hermosa City Council

The Hermosa Beach City Council has a big evening ahead, as members will hear public comment on new waste management proposals and also vote on hiring a new city manager.

During Tuesday night's meeting, the council is expected to approve the appointment of Tom Bakaly as city manager. Bakaly, who currently serves as Park City, Utah's city manager, will start his position in Hermosa in early September if approved.

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Also on the agenda is a public hearing to gather input on proposals from four different waste haulers to provide the city with trash and recycling services starting in January 2013.

The city's solid waste and recycling agreement is the most costly and lengthy contract for the city, worth more than $2 million per year and lasting seven years with an optional 24-month extension, according to a city staff report.

Proposals, which include both residential and commercial trash collection, were provided by Athens Services, Crown Disposal Inc., Waste Management of Los Angeles and the incumbent provider Consolidated Disposal Services.

Under the city's current agreement with Consolidated, refuse and recyclables are collected by separate trucks, and residents pay a flat rate for waste hauling services, regardless of the amount of waste disposed.

In the current competitive bid process, the city asked for proposals for both a "cart system" of waste collection as well as a "manual single stream" method of collection.

Under the cart system, refuse and recyclables are collected separately and residents are charged based on the size and quantity of the provided bins.

With a manual single stream system, refuse and recyclables are collected by one truck from resident-provided containers and then taken to a sorting facility where recyclables are removed. A flat monthly fee is charged to residents regardless of how much waste they throw out.

Although the overall cost for collection services would increase under all four proposals, residential collection rates could actually decrease under the cart system depending on the size and number of bins selected by a resident, according to the report.

Also under consideration is what is known as the city's diversion rate—the amount of waste that is kept out of landfills through recycling and other means.

According to a news release from the city, Hermosa's current diversion rate is 26 percent. The new bids under consideration propose potential diversion rates ranging from 27 to 65 percent, depending on the company.

After discussion at Tuesday night's meeting, the council will choose at least one company to start contract negotiations with and may also choose a backup in case negotiations fall through with the first choice.

Once the city writes up a formal agreement with the waste hauler, the council will vote again Sept. 11 to finalize the contract with the chosen provider.

Tuesday's meeting at will start at 7 p.m. The public is welcome to attend and offer comment on the proposals.