City council contracts trash service

The City of Clarendon is out of the trash collection business following last week’s city council meeting at which Diversified Waste Management of Amarillo was given a five-year franchise for those services.

With one motion September 24, the council approved a series of agreements with Diversified that was the culmination of months of negotiations between the company and City Hall.

Mayor Sandy Skelton said only one citizen had complained about the proposed deal at a city council meeting since The Clarendon Enterprise first reported the details of the negotiations with Diversified on July 30, and he said it had been a pleasure working with Brandon Brown on behalf of the company.

Brown, who has a weekend home near Brice, said he looks forward to becoming more involved with Clarendon.

“I want to thank the city for the time spent on this agreement,” Brown said. “I really would like to become part of the community. This is home for me. It’s my backyard. We will go above and beyond with service and community involvement.”

In the deal which took effect this week, Diversified Waste agreed to purchase all of the city’s sanitation vehicles and equipment as well as the city’s Dumpsters. The company will retain all the city’s sanitation workers, other than sanitation director Joe Shadle, who is retiring; and Diversified will provide the service at a rate equal to or lower than what the city is currently paying. Diversified will also continue to service several grass and leaf Dumpsters that are also located around town.

Brown again said last week that he felt like the local employees were incredible assets and that he hopes to let them be models for how employees are expected to be in his company.

The agreement also outlines how Diversified might lower or raise sanitation rates based on the cost of diesel if it exceeds $3.25 per gallon or drops below $1.65 per gallon.

“I know everyone fears price increases, and I’ll let my actions speak for themselves,” he said and drew attention to the service he provides in Claude, where he says rates have not gone up in three years.

In addition to providing sanitation services to the city and several accounts in rural Donley County, Diversified also will lease the city’s facilities on Front Street to base his sanitation service locally and use that potentially as a hub to service other nearby cities or accounts.

Billing for sanitation service will still go through the city, and the city will be the point of contact for residents who have questions or concerns about their trash service. To pay for that service, the city will receive a portion of Diversified’s fee.

In other city business last week, the council declared five more properties and public nuisances; approved the annual budgets of the Clarendon Economic Development Corporation as the hotel occupancy funded budget of the Chamber of Commerce; and approved the annual contract for services with the Donley County Appraisal District to assess and collect property taxes.