WEMIGA makes second request to bid on sanitation contract

BY BROOKS TAYLOR

Mt. Pleasant News

Henry County?s solid-waste contract is scheduled for renewal on Feb. 18, 2016. The question is whether the contract will renew automatically or be reopened for bids.

Lynn Whaley, owner of WEMIGA Waste of Mt. Pleasant, submitted a request to the Henry County Board of Supervisors Thursday to reopen the contract. WEMIGA was one of two bidders on the three-year, eight-month contract in 2013, but Mike Prottsman Sanitation of Mt. Pleasant received the bid.

Prottsman is paid a monthly base fee of $9,820 for residential garbage and recycling service.

This is the second time in the past six months that Whaley has made the request. Whaley said when he made his initial request on June 8, he learned through the county attorney that the supervisors will need to submit a letter to the current hauler before Dec. 20, 2015, stating their 60-day notice not to renew.

The county attorney, according to the supervisors, has told the board that if either party does not give notice of proposed changes in the contract within 60 days of its expiration, it would renew automatically.

During the discussion on June 8, the supervisors were split on re-bidding the contract. Marc Lindeen said that he was not, at that time, in favor of re-bidding it. Gary See did not see the need to re-open it and Greg Moeller said he would favor opening it up for bid.

?The contract has an overall approximate gross value of $500,000.? Whaley said. ?This is a large amount of county taxpayers? monies, and I truly believe that it is in the best interest of the serving board of supervisors to put it up for bid every time the term is up.?

Supervisors agreed to discuss the matter further with Whaley during their Dec. 15 meeting.