City Council approves new contract with Pleasanton Garbage

Reduced collection costs, new services like free bulky item pickup and electronic recycling, and establishing a more modern rate structure were among the key provisions lauded by city officials from the new contract the City Council approved with Pleasanton Garbage Service this week.

The franchise agreement, which keeps PGS as the city’s solid waste hauler for another 11 years, formalizes the tentative deal struck late last year to continue the decades-long relationship when its future had been in doubt over PGS’ ability to provide cost-effective processing of recyclables and organics — a service the city will now outsource to another company.

“It was a long negotiation; it was a good negotiation. I think we reached one of those typical win-wins that we talk about,” Councilwoman Karla Brown said during Tuesday night’s meeting at the Pleasanton Civic Center.

One centerpiece of the new contract is a 13.3% reduction in PGS compensation that will ultimately result in reduced rates for the city’s residential and commercial customers.

City officials expect to unveil initial new rates by July, but those prices will be short-lived — with a second rate overhaul due just a few months later once the city finds its new contractor for recyclable and organics processing.

The new PGS contract, which runs through June 2028, also states the city’s franchise fee will increase from 2% to 4%, service rates will be based on an industry index and rates won’t be adjusted to pay for costs incurred in prior years — part of the city’s goal to transfer the risk of unexpected operating costs to PGS instead of ratepayers.

Among the new services offered by PGS will be free bulk curbside waste pickup for customers up to three times per year, with each collection available for up to five cubic yards of garbage, recycling or yard waste, or large items such as appliances, furniture, mattresses, tires or carpets.

PGS is also required to collect used motor oil and filters, offer E-waste and U-waste (batteries, fluorescent light bulbs and mercury switches) recycling at the Busch Road transfer station for free to city residents, improve its website and social media outreach, and increase public education on recycling and organics diversion.

The notable exception from the contract is that PGS will no longer be responsible for processing recyclable and organic materials. For company officials, processing recyclables at the Busch Road transfer station became too costly and they were concerned about being able to find a vendor to process organics at an acceptable cost, according to assistant city manager Brian Dolan said.

PGS would be obligated to deliver organics and recyclable materials to the city’s new processing contractor. City officials plan to solicit proposals from prospective contractors with the goal of presenting a recommendation to the council by July 30.

The city plans to implement new customer rates in two phases, Dolan said.

With the PGS contract taking effect this summer, city officials will come back to the council before July 1 with a recommendation for new rates based on the 13.3% reduction in PGS-related collection costs.

Then, once a recyclables and organics processing contractor is selected, city customer rates will have to be adjusted again to account for those additional costs. City officials plan to present that rate proposal in September, though that timeline could be delayed depending on when the state starts to roll out new regulations for organic waste processing expected some time this year, Dolan said.

In the end, the city’s goal is to achieve net savings compared to current costs, he added.

In other business

* The council introduced an ordinance to incorporate leaf blowers into the city’s general noise regulations and restrictions, instead of leaf blowers having their own standalone ordinance as is the case now.

The current rules allow leaf blowers to run longer (from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. weekdays and 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. weekends and holidays) and at a higher decibel level (73 dBA at 50 feet) than what is generally allowed in residential zones or commercial sites near residential.

City officials have been receiving a number of residential complaints about noisy early-morning leaf blowers, only to find they are operating within the legal times, according to community development director Gerry Beaudin.

He said the proposed solution is to bring leaf blowers in line with the city’s current, stricter noise standards across the board, which also apply to other landscaping equipment like lawn mowers and weed eaters.

The changes would prohibit leaf blowers in residential zones from 8 p.m. to 8 a.m. Mondays through Saturdays and from 6 p.m. to 10 a.m. on Sundays and holidays, with the maximum noise limit at 60 dBA at any point outside the property plane.

The council is set to consider final approval of the new ordinance at its next regular meeting, with the new leaf blower regulations to then take effect one month later.

* Council members adopted an ordinance confirming members of the Pleasanton Police Officers Association will contribute an additional 1.5% of their pay toward their California Public Employees Retirement System (CalPERS) pension. That will bring police classic CalPERS members up to contributing 12% of their salary toward their retirement fund.

* The council presented a proclamation declaring March as American Red Cross Month, as well as approved a memorandum of understanding with the Red Cross defining the working relationship with the city for disaster preparation, response and recovery.

The MOU was part of the 10-item consent calendar, a collection of items deemed routine that the council approved with one sweeping vote without further discussion.

* Also on consent, the council authorized a nearly $94,000 contract with Biggs Cardosa Associates Inc. to analyze the feasibility of building a second Bernal Bridge just to the south of the 77-year-old, two-lane bridge that serves both directions of traffic on Bernal Avenue over Arroyo de la Laguna.

The new bridge would be designed to handle eastbound traffic — for motor vehicles, bicycles and pedestrians — so the original bridge would become westbound-only. The new bridge could also be used for both directions on a temporary basis if the city decides to replace the older bridge.

* There was also acceptance of the midterm progress report on the council’s current two-year work plan, which outlines 90 priority goals and objectives.

To date, 28 projects have been finished or significantly completed, 42 projects and goals are underway and 13 more are planned or budgeted to begin soon, according to city staff.

The major 2017-2018 work plan priorities already completed include Kottinger Gardens Phase 1, Stanley-Valley-Bernal intersection improvements, two more courts at Tennis Park, automated water meter infrastructure upgrades and facilitating the Sunflower Hill special-needs affordable housing project.

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