A pilot program initiated in January by Progressive Waste Solutions had St. Charles Parish Council members questioning why they weren’t aware of it and whether they were signing off on a contract change.
“The council should have known this pilot program was going on because we get the complaints,” said Councilwoman Carolyn Schexnaydre at Monday’s council meeting, although she also noted it appeared the program involving the use of automated trucks might be a good one.
Parish Administrator Buddy Boe said the pilot program was restricted initially to a select area of the parish, but the administration allowed its expansion to areas on both sides of the river on Progressive Waste’s request. Because the move is testing use of the trucks, Boe said it did not require a contract amendment.
In April of last year, the Parish Council and administration reached a settlement with the parish’s waste disposal contractor that extended the garbage contract by 14 months and hiked rates by 45 cents a month per household this year and by another 45 cents next year. Progressive Waste filed the lawsuit when the parish government withheld $29,000 in payments over the contractor not picking up large debris piles, which the company maintained wasn’t part of the contract. The company got the payments.
“We have enjoyed improved service” since reaching a settlement with the company, Boe told the council. But he said the parish government has also demonstrated that it’s not afraid to enforce its contracts.
But Councilman Larry Cochran also said it appeared the parish’s contract with Progressive Waste had been amended without a vote of the council. Boe said that was not the case, but the council and Progressive Waste agreed to refer the matter to a council committee.
Steve Truitt, general superintendent of public works, also said it was only a pilot program that is still being assessed with results expected by mid-July. But Cochran fired back, “It looks like they’re going to it” and maintained this belongs in a council committee meeting.
They agreed.
The move came after the council extensively questioned the service and aired concerns about how it is and isn’t working.
Luis Lizama, Progressive Waste Southshore division manager, accompanied by Mark Talbot, new district manager, announced at Monday’s council meeting that the new program had been unveiled in late January involving the use of automated front-load trucks in areas on both sides of the Mississippi River. Lizama advised the council, that because it was a new service where the trucks picked up garbage on one side of the road and then looped back to collect on the other side, that residents might call to complain until they understand this new process.
“It’s working great,” he said of how the trucks were working out in test areas. He also said the truck was new to the company’s fleet and worked best when residents placed the dumpsters away from mailboxes and trees.
Councilwoman Julia Fisher-Perrier, who said she followed one of the trucks to assess it at work, questioned drivers maneuvering them in some of the parish’s smaller roads of around 15 feet wide. She further wanted clarification on what residents would have to do to accommodate this pilot program because she felt they shouldn’t be asked to do more to accommodate waste pickup.
Councilman Terrell Wilson observed it used in the Primrose area and thought it was an improvement on collection. But he also expressed concern over the trucks beating up the garbage cans and requiring replacements, as well as garbage ending up on the streets.
When Talbot replied they’d replace the garbage cans as needed, Councilwoman Wendy Benedetto replied, “Do we have a say so if this doesn’t work?”
Citing rising operational costs, Talbot told Benedetto that options like the automated truck, which requires only one person to operate, helped them cut costs and avoid rate hikes with a contract renewal. But he also said, “If we fail at this we’ll pick it up as we did initially.”
Benedetto told him to reach out to the parish’s contract monitors to work on residents’ complaints about the service.
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