St. James OKs new contract with Waste Management
Five-year deal for curbside collection services will begin Nov. 1
“We may have hit some clay and didn’t notice it.” JIM BRELAND, representing Barriere
CONVENT — Against the recommendation of the St. James Parish Council’s Solid Waste Committee, the Parish Council decided to enter into a new, five-year contract with Waste Management beginning Nov. 1 for its curbside municipal solid waste collection services.
In a 4-3 vote Wednesday, the Parish Council decided to stick with Waste Management, the company that has held the parish’s solid waste contract for 25 years.
Councilmen Jason Amato, Ralph Patin, Charles Ketchens and Jimmy Brazan voted to select Waste Management for the contract, and Councilmen Alvin St. Pierre, Terry McCreary and Ken Brass voted against the issue.
Parish Director of Operations Jody Chenier said Waste Management’s new five-year contract with the parish is worth $1.275 million annually and carries with it the possibility of a five-year extension.
The parish’s current solid waste contract with Waste Management, at a cost to the parish of more than $2 million annually, was set to expire Oct. 31, Brass said.
Brass said he was “disappointed” with how the Parish Council voted Wednesday. The Solid Waste Committee had worked for at least three months studying data and interviewing prospective companies to serve St. James Parish residents, Brass said.
The committee’s recommendation of Ramelli Waste LLC was based on more than $250,000 in savings for the parish and the fact that the company was prepared to create 20 new jobs in the parish with an annual payroll of $600,000, Brass said.
Ultimately, Waste Management decided to lower its price after the Solid Waste Committee recommended Ramelli Waste, Brass said.
In a second 4-3 vote, the Parish Council selected Allied Waste Services, a company the Solid Waste Committee had recommended for the contract, for the collection and disposal services involving bins and dumpsters that are located around the parish for use by residents.
St. Pierre, McCreary, Brass and Brazan voted to select Allied Waste Services while Amato, Patin and Ketchens voted against the motion.
Chenier said the five-year contract with Allied Waste Services is worth $150,000 annually and has the possibility of a five-year extension. It begins Nov. 1, Chenier said.
Other business coming before the council included:
POST CREATED: An ordinance was approved with officially creates the office of chief administrative officer to assist the parish president and Parish Council with day-to-day activities.
The position of chief administrative officer already exists but is currently unfilled, officials said. On the recent recommendation of the state Attorney General’s Office, the Parish Council is seeking to rectify a decades-old mistake made in creating the position and sought a two-thirds vote to enact the ordinance.
Patin cast the only vote against the ordinance Wednesday.