Parkersburg City Councilman Chris Rexroad, second from left, asks a question during Tuesday’s council meeting prior to votes on a public meeting on sanitation and recycling services. Pictured, from left, are Councilman Zak Huffman, Rexroad and Councilmen Andrew Borkowski and Rob Moore. (Photo by Evan Bevins)

PARKERSBURG — Parkersburg City Council plans a special meeting after the start of the new year to consider the first readings of ordinances related to potential contracts for sanitation and recycling services, preceded by a 90-minute meeting where the public can offer input and ask questions.

Council unanimously voted Tuesday to schedule the meeting for Jan. 6 after multiple speakers in the meeting’s public forum encouraged them to approve a resolution that would have slated a meeting for 6:30 p.m. today on sanitation and a potential shift to private service.

“Passing this resolution is not only good government, it is the responsible and ethical thing to do,” Parkersburg resident Greg Sanders said.

An amendment to the resolution passed 5-4, with the original legislation’s sponsors opposed, to set the public meeting for 6 p.m. and the special council session for 7:30 p.m. on the first Tuesday in January.

“We can begin the meeting with a public meeting to get input from the public and to allow questions, which will get answered,” said Councilwoman Sharon Kuhl.

Parkersburg Mayor Tom Joyce speaks during Tuesday’s Parkersburg City Council meeting at the Municipal Building. (Photo by Evan Bevins)

She added that representatives of the haulers would be at the meeting.

The city administration is negotiating with one of two trash haulers – Rumpke or Waste Management, the company has not been named publicly due to the ongoing process – on a potential contract to take over the city’s trash service. Staffing issues have led to some delays in trash pickup as well as the city suspending its curbside recycling service since May, prompting a lawsuit from a resident.

City officials are scheduled on Dec. 19 to open vendor proposals on a subscription-based curbside recycling service, where those who want to participate will pay to do so. Recycling has previously been included with the city’s trash fee. Mayor Tom Joyce said that model means everyone bears the cost even though only about 25% of residents actually recycle.

In making her motion, Kuhl said the administration would be unable to answer residents’ questions this week because negotiations are ongoing and council could not address a contract it hasn’t seen.

“So we will not be able to adequately answer any questions that (are) given to us by the public,” she said. “To hold a public meeting where questions cannot be answered seems fruitless.”

Councilman Chris Rexroad, a co-sponsor of the resolution calling for a meeting this week, said a second meeting could be held once the proposed contracts are available.

“I think the public deserves a chance to be able to give their opinions while the contract’s being negotiated so that the administration has an idea of the wishes of the public,” he said.

Councilwoman Wendy Tuck, another sponsor of the original resolution, asked if waiting until a proposed contract was available meant council had only one option to consider. City Attorney Blaine Myers said he did not believe that was the case.

“You, as council, would have a single proposed contract to consider, but I think it’s appropriate for council to discuss other options,” he said. “That’s a valid policy discussion that you would have when considering that contract.”

Joyce said the meeting would include materials and questions related to the evaluations of the contractors’ proposals, initially reviewed by a committee consisting of two council members and four representatives of the administration.

Council appropriates money for goods or services and the administration procures them, Joyce said. This situation requires a council vote because the contract is likely to be for multiple years.

“This is the way we do procurement,” Joyce said. “I think it would be inappropriate … to the two that did respond to kind of hash out what may or may not be in a final contract.”

The mayor said there could be an additional meeting if there were concerns about what had been negotiated, although he said he would be hard-pressed to find any public input that would surprise officials. Joyce noted a public forum speaker’s reference to the large amount of trash city sanitation has hauled away over the years, compared to the limited volumes commercial haulers will accept and said he understands that concern.

“But it’s quite frankly something that’s been as big of a problem on the logistical end as it has been a benefit to the folks that got it,” he said.

Some speakers asked officials to keep sanitation as a city service.

“You just need to raise the pay of the sanitation workers,” Parkersburg resident Cathy Whitlatch said.

Council approved a $2-an-hour pay increase for medium equipment operators in sanitation and other departments that went into effect July 1, but Joyce said it has not addressed the personnel problems. Some residents have said the city needs to further increase pay for sanitation.

Parkersburg resident Sonya Ashby said she had problems with one of the bidders when she lived in Lubeck.

“I had to file a formal complaint in order to get the situation resolved,” she said. “You need to understand the perspective of the customers who have lived with (these companies.)”

After the meeting, some residents who had spoken in favor of the meeting this week expressed disappointment with the amended resolution.

“It’s beginning to look more and more like they’ve made up their minds and … they just don’t want to hear the public’s opinion on this,” Parkersburg resident Fred Coleman said.

Resident Sue Ellen Waybright said she will continue to encourage people to express their opinions directly to council members.

“While I understand they may not have everything together, I think it’s still important for citizens to have input” before the issue is decided, she said.

During the meeting, Joyce said the decision will ultimately be made by council and it’s not predetermined that the negotiated contracts are what will be approved.

“If folks don’t like it, if council doesn’t like it, there are more than two options here, or three,” he said.

Evan Bevins can be reached at ebevins@newsandsentinel.com.