City council members sworn in for next terms; New vendor selected for solid waste services

At the Dripping Springs city council meeting on May 6, the three city council members who ran for re-election unopposed were officially sworn in by Judge Marilyn G. Miller. Taline Manassian, Sherrie Parks and Geoffrey Tahuahua will serve 24 month terms, expiring in May of 2027.

The council also proclaimed the week of May 4-10 as “Municipal Clerks Week” and proclaimed the Month of May as “Art Month.”

In other business, the council discussed and approved an agreement with Dripping Springs Water Supply Corporation regarding the relocation of water lines along Old Fitzhugh Road, which is needed as part of the improvement project for that area.

Then, after hearing several Year in Review reports from city departments, the council moved to closed session to discuss and consider the selection of a vendor for solid waste services. Currently the city has an agreement with Waste Connections.

The city received three bids to provide solid waste and recycling services to businesses and residences.

Upon returning from closed session, Tahuahua motioned to authorize city staff to begin negotiating with Texas Disposal Systems (TDS) as the best value bidder.

“The thing I would point out is that we’ve had numerous complaints from our citizens regarding our existing service,” Tahuahua said. “And as many of you are aware, we’ve had some discussions around the communication regarding that, as well as the ability for them to fulfill the requirements in force in the contracts.”

Tahuahua said that he appreciated various aspects of the TDS bid package, including the unique way they address sustainability as well as their plan for customer service response and escalation.

Tahuahua’s motion was seconded, and upon a vote, the motion passed 5 to 1, with Manassian opposed. The city administrator is now tasked to finalize the agreement with TDS, with services scheduled to start in July.