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WHEREAS, in addition to the in -person meetings described above, the City repeatedly
<br />offered to review written feedback and requested that the haulers, their representatives, and
<br />their legal counsel provide such on a draft solid waste contract (the "Contract"); and
<br />WHEREAS, the Contract is substantially similar to other organized solid waste contracts
<br />executed by other cities; and
<br />WHEREAS, prior to the initiation of negotiations, the City, by letter, notified the haulers
<br />that the deadline for a best and final proposal from the haulers was approximately January 11,
<br />2024; and
<br />WHEREAS, the City and the haulers met on January 4, 2024, at which time it was clear
<br />that the haulers would not be prepared to make an offer by January 11, 2024; and
<br />WHEREAS, on January 4, 2024, the City notified the haulers that it intended to create
<br />an organized collection options committee pursuant to the Statute, so that, in the event an
<br />agreement is not reached with the City and the haulers by its deadline, the City could move
<br />forward with organized collection; and
<br />WHEREAS, under the Statute, prior to issuing a request for proposals, the City is
<br />required to establish an organized collection options committee to identify, examine, and
<br />evaluate various methods of collection and appoint the members of the committee; and
<br />WHEREAS, based on a subsequent request from the haulers, the City also extended
<br />the deadline for a proposal from the haulers from January 11, 2024 to January 31, 2024; and
<br />WHEREAS, on January 8, 2024, the City Council established an organized collections
<br />options committee, which met on January 17, 2024, January 24, 2024, and January 31, 2024;
<br />and
<br />WHEREAS, at the haulers' request, following the January 31, 2024 meeting, the City
<br />suspended the organized collections options committee meetings; and
<br />WHEREAS, the City and the haulers continued to negotiate and met on at least nine
<br />additional occasions, January 11, 2024, January 18, 2024, January 25, 2024, February 5,
<br />2024, February 8, 2024, February 12, 2024, February 19, 2024, February 26, 2024, February
<br />27, 2024, and March 5, 2024; and
<br />WHEREAS, throughout the negotiation process, the haulers provided written feedback
<br />on the City's proposed Contract on only two occasions months after the negotiations began,
<br />on February 7, 2024 and on February 19, 2024, and all other drafts reflecting the progress of
<br />the parties discussions at in -person meetings were provided by the City; and
<br />WHEREAS, on February 26, 2024, the parties reached a tentative agreement on the
<br />Contract, although the haulers explained that the agreement was tentative because some of
<br />their legal counsel had not yet reviewed the Contract; and
<br />WHEREAS, on the evening of February 26, 2024, the haulers sent a proposal for rates
<br />and the method for rate increases to the City; and
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