Garbage Finally Going Private in Last County Holdout?

The City of Schulenburg will consider privatizing its garbage service.

The City Council met for a special meeting last Monday, Nov. 29, to discuss the garbage service. The Council authorized City Administrator Tami Walker to request proposals from private contractors to take waste collection.

“(The Council is) still leaning toward keeping the garbage service, but they want to see what’s out there,” Walker said.

Walker said Schulenburg and Yoakum are the only towns in the region that still operate a garbage utility. In 2013, The City Council entertained a bid from Texas Disposal Systems to take over the garbage service. At that time Council opted to retain City control over the service.

In 2019 the City invested nearly $350,000 for a new garbage truck and a fleet of new wheeled carts or “toters” for residents. The move was aimed at making garbage collection more efficient for the City and sanitation employees.

“In order to provide efficient service with the toters that we implemented, we would need to purchase a new truck,” Walker told the Record in an interview last Friday.

She said the City retrofitted some of its old equipment to handle the toters.

“But its still labor-intensive, and I’m concerned about liability with the guys riding on the back of the trucks,” Walker said. “If we want to keep continue doing dumpsters, we would need to look at purchasing new dumpsters and a truck for them.”

She said the price tag for the new equipment could top $1 million. That expense would come at a time when the City needs to upgrade other essential services.

“It’s very difficult for me to sit in front of council and encourage a million dollar expense for (garbage) service knowing that we are currently doing a (water) storage tank at Henderson Hill that’s $1 million, we have (wastewater) lift stations that are starting to fail and with the added growth we need to expand our lift stations,” Walker said.

Walker said she wants the City to focus more on water and sewer infrastructure.

“We know its nice to have your garbage picked up by a local person,” Walker said. “But to provide an efficient service, we know the cost will have to go up.”

Walker said it would take the City six years to recoup the investment in new trucks and dumpsters.

“And that doesn’t factor in labor, maintenance, wear and tear and fuel,” Walker said.

Council did not make any final decision concerning the garbage service. Walker said they would consider proposals from private contractors after the new year.