Sep 26, 2018
Vineland City
Council voted at Tuesday’s regular meeting to approve a Shared Services
Agreement with the Atlantic County Utilities Authority (ACUA) for solid waste,
bulky waste, and recycling collection services.
As part of the Agreement, the ACUA will also establish a partnership
with the Cumberland County Improvement Authority’s (CCIA) to utilize their
Fleet Maintenance Services. The
five-year agreement is scheduled to begin on January 1, 2019. The city’s current five-year contract with
South Jersey Sanitation expires at the end of this year.
According to
city officials, several factors were considered as part of the decision-making
process including benefits to the environment, litter reduction, additional
services residents will receive, and a need for more efficient service. Vineland officials also see the Agreement as
a means for long-term cost containment.
“The ACUA has
an outstanding reputation for providing solid waste management services,” said
Vineland Mayor Anthony Fanucci. “They
have been recognized at the state and national level as a leader in alternative
energy and environmental innovation including the area's first publicly
accessible Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) fueling station. Additionally, their efforts to promote
sustainability through public education and citizen engagement are a perfect
complement to ongoing efforts by the Vineland Clean Communities program and the
CCIA.”
“The ACUA is
pleased to partner with the City of Vineland and the Cumberland County
Improvement Authority in bringing high quality trash and recycling collection
to the residents of Vineland,” ACUA President Rick Dovey said. “The ACUA has
established itself as a leader in shared services and currently provides trash
or recycling pickup in more than 20 municipalities across South Jersey. We look
forward to extending our reach to Vineland and working alongside the local
community.”
“The Cumberland
County Improvement Authority is happy to be a partner in this progressive
shared service agreement that maximizes our collective strengths,” said CCIA President
and CEO Jerry Velazquez. “The Mayor and
Council should be credited for their continued commitment to look beyond the
city’s boundaries to seek innovative solutions that are in the best interests
of its residents.”
Under the
Agreement, most Vineland residents would see no change in their current
collection schedule or materials that are collected. “There may be a change in collection days for
about 250 residents in East Vineland,” said Public Works Director/Superintendent
Mark Guglielmi. “We will be sending
notification regarding any change in collection days to all residents who may
be affected prior to January 1, 2019. There
will also be a public education period to help walk residents through the
transition and address any questions.”
To facilitate
the Agreement, the ACUA is purchasing 11 new environmentally friendly CNG
collection vehicles and two Supervisor vehicles at a cost of $3.5 million which
will be dedicated for use in Vineland.
The trucks, which are cleaner and cheaper to operate than diesel trucks,
will be stationed and maintained at the CCIA Solid Waste Complex, which will
also handle the disposal of the solid waste and recyclable material. “Also, we will be recruiting locally to fill
the new jobs being created,” Dovey said.
“They are good union jobs with the Operating Engineers Local 68.”
Vineland
residents will receive new 96-gallon trash and recycling containers which
include attached lids to help prevent litter and recyclables from blowing out
onto the streets, and wheels for easy transport. The containers will
have an RFID tag to help keep track of containers which may be lost or
misplaced. Under the new program, residents will be able to place one item of
bulky waste out each collection day. The
number of collection days throughout the year will stay the same, and there
will be no collection on the following holidays: Thanksgiving, Christmas, New
Year’s Day, Labor Day, Memorial Day, and the 4th of July.
Vineland
officials anticipate residents will also see a big improvement in customer
service including a reduction or elimination of missed pick-ups, and the
careless dumping of waste by trash handlers during collection. This is one of the biggest generators of
wind-blown litter throughout the city.
“As part of
their customer service protocol, ACUA staff will be accessible via phone, live
chat, and social media to answer questions and handle service issues,” Fanucci
said. “They log every request into a
data base to easily identify any patterns, and there will always be a manager
present within the city during collection periods. The ACUA also plans to offer collection
reminders and alerts for residents by text, email, or telephone.”
According to
city officials, implementing the Shared Services Agreement will also help
mitigate the rate of increase for trash disposal costs for the future. “We were
facing a substantial increase in disposal costs based on informal discussions
our Public Works Department had with other municipalities in South Jersey,”
said City Council President Paul Spinelli.
“Because the ACUA is a not-for-profit operation, the disposal costs paid
by Vineland residents under the Shared Services Agreement reflect the actual
cost of the services without additional mark-up. This includes salaries and benefits; vehicle
maintenance, fuel, and insurance; customer service; and support costs like
uniforms and safety equipment.”
Under the
current contract, Vineland residents pay $18.00 per month for solid waste services. It is expected this will increase to $21 in
2019. As part of the new Agreement, the
city will have the option to cancel the contract with 180 days’ notice if they
are not happy with the service.
Additionally, due to the increased capacity of the collection
containers, city officials will have the option to reduce the number of
collection days in the future.
“After a year,
residents may find that two trash collection days a week are not necessary, or
that bi-weekly recycling is a viable option. A reduction in the collection schedule would
result in a corresponding decrease in disposal costs. After implementation we will be looking for
input from the public regarding the new program in order that we may provide
the most cost-efficient and environmentally friendly method of solid waste
disposal for Vineland residents,” Mayor Fanucci concluded.