During its first meeting of 2024 Jan. 16, the Fishers City Council heard a proposal to move forward with plans to potentially contract with a sole-source trash and recycling service for the entire city.

The plan calls for an approximately year-long process that will start with a request for proposals from area waste management companies. If the city decides to move forward with a contract, an agreement could be in front of the council by fall, with a start time of early 2025 for citywide trash collection.

Mayor Scott Fadness said offering that service is an opportunity that should be explored through the RFP process and through careful planning. There would be some logistical concerns to be addressed, he said. Some residents might need to switch their trash collection days, for example, and there would be additional back-office support needs.

“We would have to take a hard look at our customer service staff,” he said. “Whether we have enough people to answer the phone calls if there’s concerns over billing and things like that, but it’s not significant in terms of staffing to be able to accomplish that.”

Fadness stressed that the city would not be starting its own trash utility.

“We’re not hiring trash truck drivers. We’re not buying trash trucks,” he said. “We’re simply granting a contract to a franchisee who will provide the service for the city. That’s a really important component.”

Fadness said a request for proposals could go out as early as February.

Also during the Jan. 16 meeting, the council chose Cecelia Coble (R-at-large) as the new council president and Pete Peterson (R-SE District) as vice president.

In other matters, the council unanimously approved a rezone to allow construction of Drive Planning’s new office building on 116th Street near Olio Road. The rezone came before the council without a recommendation from the Plan Commission, which had been split on whether to support the request.

Since that Dec. 6 Plan Commission meeting, Drive Planning amended its design to reduce the proposed second-story loft space from 1,000 to 500 square feet. Council members thanked company officials for their willingness to work with neighbors and the city.

The next Fishers City Council meeting is at 7 p.m. Feb. 19 at Launch Fishers, 12175 Visionary Way.