Law Director Challenges Republic Services' Waste Contract Bid

Republic Services representatives struck out again Tuesday night when pitching North Canton City Council on why they’re trash-hauling contract bid was the one and only choice.

Terry Thompson, Republic’s municipal market manager, opened the meeting by criticizing Council and the city’s officials for favoring Kimble Recycling and Disposal, the city’s current trash hauler.

At $11.94 per household per month, Thompson said Republic’s bid would save resident’s $50,000 per year, and argued price alone should be the only “qualifier” in awarding the three-year trash contract.

However, North Canton Law Director Tim Fox specified that price was one of many points of consideration and said Republic’s bid contract was “incomplete,” contradictory and hastily written.

“Price is one of many, many components the city is permitted to look at … and yet you’re very adamant and very aggressive on that the city must select Republic because of price,” said Fox.

Fox was also critical that, on paper, Republic was divided into multiple legal entities, making it potentially more difficult for the city to hold the company accountable if a legal matter arose.

Scott Walter, Kimble’s director of business development, followed Thompson and discussed his company’s bid.

Under Kimble, residents would pay $12.73 for automated curbside collection and would receive a free 95-gallon trash container and 65-gallon recycling container.

The containers would be compatible with Kimble’s quieter, eco-friendly natural gas trucks.

Walter noted residents wouldn’t be forced to use the containers, and said for an extra $2.50 per month trash collectors would haul trash and recyclables from residents’ backyards.

Kimble’s bid would also allow the city to earn some revenue with a $15 per ton recycling incentive worth potentially thousands of dollars. 

Regarding approval, the final decision rests with the North Canton Board of Control, which consists of Mayor David Held and the city's directors of finance, administration and law. 

"City council will authorize the board of control, by ordinance, to enter into an agreement with the vendor of their choice. City council reviews all proposals and states their opinion, but the ultimate decision rests with the board of control," said Ward 2 City Councilman Daniel Peters. 

However, since Held is the director of the Solid Waste District, he has recused himself from the approval process, said Peters.