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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 that
<br />the deadline for a best and final proposal from the haulers was approximately January 11, 2024; and
<br />WHEREAS, the City and the haulers met on January 4, 2024, at which time it was clear that the
<br />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 an
<br />organized collection options committee pursuant to the Statute, so that, in the event an agreement is not
<br />reached with the City and the haulers by its deadline, the City could move forward with organized
<br />collection; and
<br />WHEREAS, under the Statute, prior to issuing a request for proposals, the City is required to
<br />establish an organized collection options committee to identify, examine, and evaluate various methods
<br />of collection and appoint the members of the committee; and
<br />WHEREAS, based on a subsequent request from the haulers, the City also extended the deadline
<br />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 options
<br />committee, which met on January 17, 2024, January 24, 2024, and January 31, 2024; and
<br />WHEREAS, at the haulers' request, following the January 31, 2024 meeting, the City suspended
<br />the organized collections options committee meetings; and
<br />WHEREAS, the City and the haulers continued to negotiate and met on at least nine additional
<br />occasions, January 11, 2024, January 18, 2024, January 25, 2024, February 5, 2024, February 8, 2024,
<br />February 12, 2024, February 19, 2024, February 26, 2024, February 27, 2024, and March 5, 2024; and
<br />WHEREAS, throughout the negotiation process, the haulers provided written feedback on the
<br />City's proposed Contract on only two occasions months after the negotiations began, on February 7,
<br />2024 and on February 19, 2024, and all other drafts reflecting the progress of the parties' discussions at
<br />in -person meetings were provided by the City; and
<br />WHEREAS, on February 26, 2024, the parties reached a tentative agreement on the Contract,
<br />although the haulers explained that the agreement was tentative because some of their legal counsel had
<br />not yet reviewed the Contract; and
<br />WHEREAS, on the evening of February 26, 2024, the haulers sent a proposal for rates and the
<br />method for rate increases to the City; and
<br />WHEREAS, the Council scheduled a work session to discuss the proposal on March 5, 2024,
<br />which had to be rescheduled to March 6, 2024 because Minn. Stat. § See 204C.03 prohibits Council
<br />meetings on the day of the primary election; and
<br />WHEREAS, on March 6, 2024, the City Council held a work session where it heard an update
<br />on the negotiations from City staff and legal counsel and reviewed the price proposal, rate increase
<br />proposal, and a comparison of that proposal to what is being paid by current Mounds View residents and
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