It’s refreshing to see the cities of Hollister and San Juan
Bautista and San Benito County collaborating to bring residents
lower garbage rates.
It’s refreshing to see the cities of Hollister and San Juan Bautista and San Benito County collaborating to bring residents lower garbage rates.
Not only do we see our governmental agencies working together, but we could also see our carting costs decrease for a change.
Even as the Hollister City Council looks at a proposed 7.08 percent increase in garbage rates, it is working with the county and San Juan Bautista to find a deal with a single waste management company in order to reduce costs.
That means we could actually see our trash disposal costs go down instead of seeing our elected officials approve rate increases year after year after year.
As Hollister City Manager Clint Quilter recently noted: “The proposals we get hopefully will be better than our current contract. We would all get better deals that way: Just like the reason you go to Costco instead of 7-Eleven to buy stuff.”
Quilter is right. The more customers, the lower the price for individual rate payers.
The waste management contracts of the two cities and the county have been aligned to expire simultaneously this summer.
Hollister, San Juan Bautista and San Benito County are jointly putting out a request for proposals, seeking bids from potential solid waste franchisees.
This kind of collaboration doesn’t happen enough, as far as we are concerned.
Especially in a county the size of San Benito, government agencies should always be looking for ways to work together to save residents money and prevent overlapping bureaucracy.
A new garbage hauler could be chosen in August and a contract could be completed by the end of the year. It’s likely that the actual change won’t happen until next summer to give everyone time to work out any glitches.
Before signing a new contract, staff from all three municipalities must make sure residents are getting the best services possible.
Recycling services, yard waste pickup and carting frequency should all be examined closely so that no one sees a reduction in services.
Finding a carting company that also offers single-bin recycling services would be a plus. Hollister currently offers this service and it would be a shame to lose a service that makes recycling so easy.
The only reduction we would want to see in this deal is a reduction in costs to residents.
Both cities and the county should coordinate public hearings on this issue and allow residents from all three places to have some input before selecting a single carting company and signing a contract.
We have a great opportunity to save money and collaborate here.
Let’s make it work to the benefit of the entire community.
