Trash tradition: Is Minneapolis getting the best price?
Minneapolis’ trash-hauling tradition may be working, but the thought that it could work better for city residents has put it back on the City Council agenda — and maybe in court. The City Council is scheduled to vote Friday on a plan to seek competitive proposals from outside haulers of its residential trash for the first time since backyard trash burning was banned in 1971. It’s likely to approve that step. Council Member Scott Benson portrayed the issue as Good Government 101, using competition to force haulers to offer their best price and service level. “This is the best way to test the market,” he said. Since 1972, the city has divided the job of trash collecting between city crews and a consortium of 14 private haulers. The council already has voted once to seek outside proposals. That was in early 2006 when newly sworn freshman council members helped form a new majority favoring outside proposals. But then the city’s existing private haulers blocked that step by suing. A judge
