Officials from the City of Kyle have joined with representatives from Texas Disposal Systems (TDS) to announce a landmark partnership that will not only make the City’s long-awaited Heroes Memorial Park a reality, but also expand their solid waste collection program with Kyle residents. The formal announcement was made during the Kyle City Council meeting. Under the renewed contract with TDS, the City of Kyle will roll out both additional and expanded waste collection services to its residential customers beginning in February. This comes after several months of negotiations between city officials and TDS, who has been the service provider for the city since 1997.
In a gesture of ongoing partnership, TDS announced a donation of $1.5 million for the development of the City’s Heroes Memorial Park. One half of the donation ($750,000) will be in cash, while the other half ($750,000) will be presented via goods and services during design and construction of the City’s Heroes Memorial Park and incorporated into the streetscape throughout the Uptown development, as well as the central park. Bob Gregory, president and principal owner of Texas Disposal Systems, presented the City of Kyle with a check for $1.5 million to represent the sum of the donation.
“The Heroes Memorial Park will be the cornerstone of our new Uptown Kyle development and will really show the world how much the residents of Kyle appreciate the sacrifice of those who protect and serve us,” said Travis Mitchell, City of Kyle mayor. “This memorial would not be possible without the generous support of our partner, Texas Disposal Systems, and the tireless work and commitment of our city council and staff.”
“TDS values our strong partnership with the City of Kyle and the customers we serve. We continue to be inspired by the spirit of the community and we appreciate the opportunity to be a part of this legacy project,” said Bob Gregory. “On behalf of TDS, we commend the City of Kyle leadership for their vision and are committed to continue providing best-in-class services to the community.”
The Heroes Memorial Park will be located in the planned Uptown Kyle development, which is in the Plum Creek area between FM 1626 and FM 2770. The additional services for Kyle residents as stated in the contract will be effective beginning in February of this year. Some of those enhanced and additional services include:
- Two bulky pick-ups per year (currently one is offered)
- Bulky pick-ups can be up to three cubic yards – brush must be bundled (no change)
- One free monthly drop-off to the landfill per residential household, good up to 5 cubic yards (currently there is a charge for landfill drop-offs)
- The addition of free collection of green waste placed at the curb in compostable lawn and leaf paper bags, good up to ten bags – must be placed outside the green waste cart
- Christmas tree curbside recycling between December 26 through January 31 (not currently offered)
A rate reduction will take effect in April 2020, reducing the rate from $22.97 per month to a rate of $22.14 per month. Additionally, annual rate increases moving forward will be 2.5% instead of the current average of between 3-4% for residential accounts. The contract also provides benefits related to event sponsorship, including the city’s annual Pie in the Sky Hot Air Balloon Festival in the form of air-conditioned public restroom facilities and crews to collect and service garbage and recycling during the event.
City council members who helped negotiate the terms of these agreements said they are pleased with the additional benefits to customers beyond the annual rate increase reduction. “This contract is a landmark deal and fully representative of the types of innovation and public/private partnerships Kyle is becoming known for,” said Rick Koch, City of Kyle mayor pro tem.“Partnerships like the one between TDS and the City of Kyle are rare and we are extremely grateful for the time, effort and commitment to our city that has been demonstrated by our friends with TDS.”