LAGUNA HILLS : Council to Discuss Terms for Trash Deal

A final version of what the city wants in its trash service package will be reviewed tonight by the City Council before being sent for bid to about a half-dozen waste haulers.

The city is looking at a specific, state-of-the-art, automated trash pickup system. By being precise about exactly what kind of trash service will be required by the eventual winner of the franchise, city officials hope to eliminate the confusion and controversy that often follow heated competition for waste contracts.

Issues being discussed by the council include:

* Sharing or giving all recycling revenue to the franchisee. Because the recycling market fluctuates, city staff is recommending that the trash hauler take all the revenue and assume all the risk.

* Franchise fees. Rather than take the standard 5% of gross revenue, the city staff advises billing the trash firm for all administrative, legal and professional costs, along with a fee for repairing pavement damaged by garbage trucks.

* Making all residents pay for trash pickup, whether they use the city service or not. Because 95% of Laguna Hills residents use the city trash haulers, city staff believes that participation in the trash program should be voluntary.

City officials said they hope to award the trash contract by January. The current franchise, held jointly by Solag Disposal Inc. and Waste Management Inc., expires in July, 1996.