Amador County – Ione City Council today will hear about its former trash hauler and also could discuss current services. City Manager Kim Kerr and staff are “recommending at a minimum” that the council “discuss the minimum requirements for Solid Waste Permits and ensure that they allow the city some control when a provider withdraws from providing services.” The city revoked the permit held by Amador Disposal Service to collect solid waste in Ione effective November 30, after the company stopped operating in Ione August 1st. The permit was not exercised since then. Kerr in a November 17th letter said “revocation does not prevent Amador Disposal from submitting a new application” for a permit. Kerr in a report to the council said Amador Disposal recently asked to be allowed to operate in Ione again. Current haulers ACES Waste Service heard about Amador Disposal’s request, and ACES President Paul Molinelli Senior discussed it with Kerr and Mayor Lee Ard. Molinelli in a letter November 12th said his company was “very concerned” Waste Connections (operating Amador Disposal) was asking to again operate in Ione. Molinelli said Waste Connections gave the city only 30 days’ notice when it ended operations, and ACES “at the behest of the city, made a very large capital expenditure to assure that Waste Connections customers would have uninterrupted service.” Molinelli said Waste Connections was “totally uncooperative with the city and their own customers during the transition.” He said the more than 30-day lapse in service put Waste Connections in “clear violation” of “Ione Municipal Solid Waste Code,” and subject to permit revocation. Molinelli in the letter said ACES made a “capital investment of 2 trucks, 2,000 plastic carts, and 80 commercial bins at a cost of almost $500,000” to serve Ione, and the “thought of losing market (revenue) so soon makes us very nervous to say the least.” He said ACES is small and locally owned, and pales in size compared to Waste Connections, “the 3rd largest publicly traded waste company in the United States.” Molinelli said if ACES had known “there was a possibility that within 3 months Waste Connections would be back serving accounts in the city,” the company “would have been very” cautious about making such a large investment, and “most likely would not have done so.” Molinelli asked that Ione be “sympathetic to our concerns” and allow ACES to recoup some of its investment “by not allowing Waste Connections to resume operations” in Ione. Kerr and staff reviewed city and state law, and the permits, and in a report for today’s meeting recommended reviewing “whether the city should be issuing Franchise Agreements or Solid Waste Permits and whether they should be Exclusive Franchise Agreements or Solid Waste Permits.” Also, “staff will provide information on the process for Amador Disposal to obtain a new permit based on their prior withdrawal from providing services and subsequent revocation of their permit.” Story by Jim Reece This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.