COMPILED BY VANESSA HOLT, BEN THOMPSON AND EVA VIGH
Township board welcomes newmembers, approves 2020 waste contract bid THEWOODLANDS TOWNSHIP The Woodlands Township
place is $10.78 per month per residential household, and the budgeted amount for contracted waste collection services in 2019 is $5.16 million, according to information presented by the board in May. Because the Waste Management contract ends Feb. 1, 2020, the company submitted a bid for a new contract to provide services for $14.51 per month. The projected cost of the services for 2020 was $6.67 million, and the eight-year term of the agreement with an annual maximum increase of 3%would be $61 million, according to information presented at the meeting. After consultant Lynn Lantrip of Solid Waste Specialists told the board he was unable to negotiate a lower rate, the board unanimously voted to accept the $14.51 bid. The increased cost was due to a number of factors, including the cost of disposing of contaminated recycled material and an
board of directors, which saw two newmembers sworn in at its Nov. 20 meeting, approved the award of a bid for solid waste and recycling services to Waste Management, its current contractor. New board members Shelley Sekula-Gibbs and Bob Milner, along with returning Director Ann Snyder, took oaths of office as the meeting started. “THISORGANIZATION DOESN’T HAVE AMORE THAN3.5% INCREASE INREVENUE YEAROVER YEAR FORALL OF THE SERVICESWE PROVIDE” —GORDY BUNCH, THEWOODLANDS TOWNSHIP BOARDOF DIRECTORS CHAIRPERSON In May, the board had directed a negotiations team to work with the contractors to establish a rate of $14.15 per single-family household per month. The price from Waste Management under the contract currently in
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From left: Justice of the Peace Matt Beasley administered the oath of office to Woodlands Township directors Ann Snyder, Bob Milner and Shelley Sekula-Gibbs.
increase of more than 3%. “This organization doesn’t have a more than 3.5% increase in revenue year over year for all of the services we provide,” he said, referring to the 3.5% cap on revenue growth approved by the Texas Legislature this year and signed into law. The issue was revisited Dec. 4, after press time, with instructions from the township to Solid Waste Specialists to continue negotiating the deal to a mutually agreeable cost.
increasingly challenging market for recyclable goods. However, John Powers, the assistant general manager for community services in the township, said the company is not obligated to sign the contract because the board stipulated it wishes to keep the 3% growth cap in place. A representative for Waste Management said a 5% cap was needed because of increased costs passed on to the company. Bunch said the township could not accommodate an
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Commissioners advance twoMontgomery County flood prevention initiatives
county in compliance with national flood insurance program regulations. “This is a mandate from that program, that we have to go out and do these substantial damage safety inspections on flooded properties,” Hess said. “It’s a requirement. It’s an unfunded mandate. The original request was a little over $1.2 million. ... We’ve reduced the number of site inspections down considerably, so our current ask is $375,000.” Commissioners unanimously authorized the property assessments.
“We did this same application after 2016 with another consulting com- pany. We were successfully awarded that grant,” said Darren Hess, director of the Montgomery County Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Management. “If we’re successfully awarded this grant opportunity, we’ll recoup that [$59,800].” The second approved initiative, budgeted at $375,000, allows Hagerty to conduct countywide flood damage inspections in the wake of Tropical Storm Imelda and would bring the
MONTGOMERY COUNTY Montgomery County commissioners approved spending for two flood prevention projects submitted by the county’s emergency management office during the Nov. 12 meeting. The first initiative, budgeted for $59,800, was the development of a flood mitigation assistance project grant application by Hagerty Consulting, Inc. If the grant is approved, the county would be allowed to purchase dozens of homes that are frequently affected by flooding.
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MEETINGS
TheWoodlands Township board of directors will meet at 6 p.m. Dec. 11 at 2801 Technology Forest Blvd., The Woodlands. 281-210-3800. www.thewoodlands-tx.gov
Shenandoah City Council will meet at 7 p.m. Dec. 11 at 29955 I-45 N., Shenandoah. 281-298-5522. www.shenandoahtx.us
Oak Ridge North City Council will meet at 7 p.m. Dec. 16 at 27424 Robinson Road, Oak Ridge North. 281-292-4648. www.oakridgenorth.com
For instant coverage of thesemeetings, follow us on Twitter: @impactnews_wdl
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The Woodlands edition • December 2019
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