Agenda Packets - 2023/03/03 - Laserfiche WebLink

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• Additionally, an organized system means more efficient routes which cuts costs for haulers, therefore cutting costs for customers too. • Fewer trucks means less opportunities for issues like hydraulic lines bursting and leaking fluid, which damages roads and increases the need and costs related to road repair projects. This is also an environmental benefit. What is the timeline for this? The City officially passed a resolution on 11/10/2020 to consider organizing collection. Licensed haulers have been notified of the city's intention to consider organizing collection. Initial meetings between the City and haulers will be set up in the coming weeks. This will lead into a period of negotiations before a contract is proposed. Throughout the entire process, public education and feedback is encouraged. Later on in the process, before a contract is signed, a public hearing will be held. Program implementation (carts delivered, etc.) is planned for Fall 2021, but the exact timing is dependent on negotiations and the amount of time haulers need for implementation. How would the city step up to ensure that customer service and billing are accurate, reliable, and high quality across all authorized haulers? (This question was submitted by a resident.) The biggest way the City would be able to hold haulers accountable is through the legal contract they'd sign. In this, financial penalties (liquidated damages) can be assessed for various infractions. This is not something that really exists in an individual agreement between a resident and a hauler. City staff have been and will continue to be very involved with all details and very responsive to resident concerns or issues. If inaccurate billing happens, staff will work as quickly as possible to connect with the hauler to fix the situation. They would also be checking in regularly with all haulers before an organized system launches, to ensure that billing information is accurate from the beginning, and that residents have been pro -actively communicated with. With standard rates for all haulers, and organized sections of the city to pick up, the opportunities for errors on the haulers' part should be significantly decreased. Hearing this concern about/experience with missed pick-ups and other negative service experiences from many residents has been one of the many reasons why the City is looking at organizing collection - to help protect and advocate for Richfield residents. What it will mean for residents once it is implemented? An organized collection system would mean that some residents might have a different hauler, depending on the allocation determined with haulers during negotiations. This hauler will bill and communicate with residents directly. City staff will be able to help provide more education and communication about citywide service, which is currently not easy or possible due to the differences between haulers. How will residents be able to ask the city to intervene with the assigned hauler if customer service is unacceptable? (This question was submitted by a resident.)