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Regular City Council Meeting Monday,June 17,2013 Page 18 Member DeBenedet opined that if the City dealt with only one contractor, that vendor would still send out many trucks and divide the City into routes; whether divided by neighborhoods or however, and the PWETC could put a proposal to- gether and determine a reasonable way to accomplish it. Member DeBenedet cautioned the City Council that the PWETC may not recommend the least expen- sive vendor, depending on their qualifications and the information in their pro- posal. However, Member DeBenedet further opined that it was not the role of government to protect every small business in the state, using as a reference the little mom and pop grocery and hardware stores that had not survived; suggesting that it was just the way things were in the business community. Councilmember Laliberte noted that while she had not been on the City Council when this was initiated, she had heard citizen opinions in her campaigning. From her personal perspective, Councilmember Laliberte opined that this was not a high priority; however, she would provide a list of things she'd want to know from the PWETC before making a decision. Councilmember Laliberte advised hat her goal would not be to protect business as much as to protect the choice of home- owners. In hearing both sides of the issue during her campaigning, Councilmem- ber Laliberte noted that some were in favor or organized hauling, mostly based on the perceived wear and tear to streets, but she had also heard from more home- owners who preferred the current status quo, and liked the option of changing vendors if they weren't receiving good services from their current vendor. If or- ganized collection is proposed, Councilmember Laliberte noted that this then eliminated that choice for homeowners. Councilmember Laliberte opined that she was not convinced that the information on wear and tear on roads was conclusive enough for her, given the other large vehicle traffic through town, including the City's own snow plows and equipment. In the interim, Councilmember Laliberte challenged individual Councilmembers to talk to their neighbors to determine if they could coordinate vendors themselves to reduce traffic on their streets. Councilmember Etten stated that he was in agreement with the majority of things he'd heard tonight. Councilmember Etten opined that it made sense to divide the City as indicated by Member DeBenedet; however, he thought the concept that a garbage can size should be mandated seemed unfounded, while the ability to pick any size container and still provide standards of service with City oversight through a contract was feasible to ensure there was no reduction in service. Re- garding the problem of residents with lack of notice for increases in collection fees from current vendors, Councilmember Etten opined came back to whether or not it was a public utility similar to that consideration for recycling services, which he thought was comparable. Councilmember Etten opined that the concern for not running out some of the City's current haulers would not be accomplished by handing out sections of the community to certain vendors, and would indeed lose the economy of costs being sought.