Garbage has never been sexier in Hillsborough County, now that a $60-million-a-year contract is up for grabs. On Wednesday afternoon, Tea Party members and liberal activists filled the County Center to hear the Board of County Commissioners host a workshop on whether or not to open up the bidding process on their solid waste contract, which has been in effect with the same three companies since 1996.
The BOCC heard pitches from the current companies who've been doing business with the county and from companies who would like to do so in the future, as well as from a united public. Commissioners voted 7-0 to open up the bid process.
County Chairman Ken Hagan admitted that he'd originally been opposed to doing so. He also rejected the argument of constituents who'd written him emails saying that the only way to reduce rates would be by putting the contract out for bid. He said that was inaccurate.
Hagan also took exception to the claim that he was in the bag for the big three incumbent solid waste companies (Waste Management, Waste Services and Republic Services) because of campaign contributions. He said that he had reviewed his campaign funding from his re-election campaign last year, and said the total he received from those companies was less than 1 percent.
"I hope this asinine claim can be put aside," he snarled.
This article appears in Dec 15-21, 2011.