Explanation
1. BACKGROUND
This legislation authorizes the Director of Public Service to establish an encumbrance within the General Fund to pay 2023 waste disposal tipping fees for the Division of Refuse Collection and to expend funds to pay the tipping fees. This expense is necessary to safely and contractually dispose of the waste collected by the division in the course of pursuing its mission by providing residential refuse collection services to over 320,000 households weekly, picking up bulk items and illegally dumped items as needed, and to provide radiation remediation services to process quarantined loads at SWACO tipping sites.
The Department of Public Service has determined that $16,830,000.00 should be adequate for this purpose. This number is based upon an estimated waste stream of 370,000 tons in 2023. Actual tonnage is ultimately dependent on variables such as the weather, the actual number of households collected that cannot be specifically calculated at this time, and the unknown amount of bulk and illegally dumped items. If necessary, additional legislation will be submitted to increase funds at a later date.
SWACO tipping fee rates are determined by SWACO's established rate-setting process. Due to an existing contractual relationship where the City of Columbus participates in the rate-setting process, the City is required to use SWACO waste disposal services. The existing contract for radiation remediation was created using a competitive bidding process and resulted in a one-year contract with the option of renewing for three additional years. The Department of Public service would like to extend this contract utilizing year three.
2. FISCAL IMPACT
This expense is budgeted and appropriated within the Department of Public Service, within the Division of Refuse Collection General Fund.
3. EMERGENCY DESIGNATION
Emergency action is requested to avoid delays of payment to SWACO that could result in the city incurring interest penal...
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