Marion County is seeking to buy garbage trucks as it looks to take over that service again after bidding it out to a private contractor five years ago.
A series of special meetings over the next month will test the new state bidding process.
The Board of Supervisors will meet at 10 a.m. May 14 in special session to vet proposals from several companies for the trucks. At 10 a.m. on May 16, the Board will again convene in special session to use the state’s new reverse auction online bidding for the first time to accept or reject bids on the purchases.
The reverse auction was originally set for Wednesday, but packets opened Monday contained different specifications than were needed for the new trucks.
District 2 Supervisor Terry Broome said Wednesday they had to revise the delivery date and the weight of the suspension. Board members agreed after opening proposals Monday that trucks with a 35,000-pound axle would be needed.
The city and county both began contracting with Red River Waste Solutions in 2013 because the municipalities' aging equipment was driving up costs, but there have been complaints about spotty service and price increases. In 2016, Red River was replaced by Waste Pro. City and county officials raised fees last year to $15 per house per month to accommodate rising expenses.
New state regulations took effect on Jan. 1 for the way counties, municipalities and school districts make major purchases, such as garbage trucks. An online reverse auction is now required. Wednesday’s auction was to be the first time that Marion County had conducted the process this year.
During Monday’s meeting, the Board discussed the specifications for the trucks as County Board Attorney Joe Shepard opened the submissions. Several companies had visited with the Board in past weeks to discuss the options.
Shepard said the initial specifications set a minimum and that companies could bid anything above that.
District 5 Supervisor Calvin Newsom said he had concerns about the lighter trucks.
“The trucks that weigh less have a lower-grade steel,” he said. “Then when they wear out, you’re in a bind. I’ve spoken with people from other counties that had purchased 26,000-pound trucks. They say the problem is with brakes and tires. Filling the trucks overloads them. As long as they are empty or half full it’s fine, but when you fill it up, it becomes a problem and creates more wear.”
Broome agreed
“When you filled it up with 18 yards or more of garbage, you can go over the capacity of your suspension,” he said. “The frame can bend down and it bottoms out, more or less, is what they’re saying.
“With a truck, a chassis and a body, you’ve got to look at the weight of each part. You don’t want a heavy body put on a lightweight truck. We’ll have to look through these closely.”
Broome said with bids coming in May, it was likely the trucks wouldn’t arrive until September. “We hope to switch the service over then,” he said. “But it may be the end of the year before everything is done.”
Pictured Above: Special meetings have already been posted for the Marion County Board of Supervisors to review and award bids for the purchase of garbage trucks. | Photo by Mark Rogers
