Redondo Backs Off Trash Plan, Seeks Bids

Three Redondo Beach council members backed off from a proposal to negotiate exclusively with one company on a lucrative trash-collection contract and agreed to solicit proposals from several refuse collectors.

A majority of the council--Archie Snow, Ronald Cawdrey and John Chapman--said last week that they were prepared to vote for Snow’s recommendation to negotiate the contract, worth an estimated $18 million over five years, exclusively with Gardena-based Western Waste Industries.

But Mayor Barbara J. Doerr and Councilwoman Kay Horrell opposed awarding a contract without a competitive process.

Doerr could have vetoed Snow’s recommendation, and the council would not have been able to override her veto unless all four council members agreed. One of the city’s five council seats is vacant pending a runoff election May 17.

Surprise Announcement

Snow surprised other council members at Tuesday’s meeting when he backed off his original proposal without discussing it and suggested that the city ask trash hauling companies for proposals to handle citywide rubbish collection, including recycling and household hazardous waste programs.

Snow could not be reached for comment after the meeting. The council unanimously approved his recommendation to solicit proposals and overrode Doerr’s veto of that action.

Doerr said it is too soon to negotiate a contract since it would not be effective until 1991.

Western Waste Vice President Ralph Tufenkian, through a secretary, declined to comment.

City Manager Tim Casey said the city staff has recommended for the past two years that the contract be awarded through the request-for-proposals process.

‘Inviting Criticism’

“It would probably be the largest service contract this city has ever entered into,” he said. “. . .I thought we would be inviting criticism if we awarded such a contract without competition.”

Casey said he prefers to solicit proposals rather than put the contract to competitive bidding. In competitive bidding, the city lists rigid requirements it expects from a contractor. The city generally must accept the lowest bid that meets all the requirements or reject all the bids, Casey said.

When a city solicits proposals, it outlines some specific and general requirements it wants the franchise to include, but allows the potential contractors to make suggestions. It also allows the city and the businesses to negotiate prices and services and enables city officials to make their selection based on factors other than cost alone. In trash hauling, for example, a company’s reputation means a lot, Casey said.

“I think most city managers approach . . . refuse collection contracts with a healthy dose of skepticism,” he said, adding that some elements of the industry have been accused of collusion and price-fixing.

In 1982, the City Council awarded Western Waste an exclusive franchise for residential trash hauling, worth about $1.1 million a year, after the contract was put to bid. Western Waste was the second lowest bidder, but the lowest bidder could not provide all the services the city wanted, Cawdrey said.

The residential franchise expires in August, 1991--the date most city officials hope to begin the citywide franchise for both commercial and residential trash collection.

Businesses and residential buildings with more than three units now contract with trash hauling companies individually. Many of those business and property owners opposed the exclusive, citywide franchise when the city discussed it two years ago.

The opponents, including the Redondo Beach Chamber of Commerce, said that competition keeps rates low and service good.

The City Council, which has been discussing the idea for about five years, notified trash haulers in August, 1986, that it intended to award an exclusive, citywide franchise.

Horrell said last week, however, that as she recalls it, the decision was not final. She said council members at the time had a “consensus of opinion that we should look at (exclusive franchising), but I don’t believe we made a firm decision on that.”

In a separate interview last week, Snow retorted: “That’s a bunch of bull, because we started the five-year clock ticking to have an exclusive contract.”

Mayor Doerr opposes the awarding of an exclusive franchise. Horrell said she wants to hear the trash companies’ proposals before she decides.