The Keller City Council is weighing contract options for solid waste collectors, as the current contract expires Sept. 1.
The trash contract, appointing a Mayor Pro Tem, a supplemental agreement for work on the railroad crossing on Keller Hicks Road and updates on events and festivities for Keller Lights were items at the June 2 meeting.
Solid waste contract
The city has received five responses to its request for proposals for solid waste collection. A scoring review was made on May 28, and there are two finalists for the contract, City Manager Aaron Rector said.
He did not indicate the two companies that were the finalists. Rector said the goal is to maintain the current service and said the city is seeking the best and final offer from the two companies.
The current solid waste contractor is CWD, which has serviced the city since 2010, according to previous reporting.
A contract could be awarded at the June 16 meeting, or be awarded at a special-called meeting if not approved at the next council meeting, according to the presentation.
CWD provides garbage, recycling, bulk, household hazardous and electric waste collection, starting at $20.14, plus tax, for regular residents, while senior citizens pay $18.53, plus tax, according to the city website.
Garbage collection occurs twice weekly, with a 50-pound limit.
Keller Lights
Plans were unveiled for the Keller Lights, held on July 3, to celebrate Independence Day.
Jordan Dawson, recreation manager at Keller Parks & Recreation, said vendors will be at Keller Town Hall from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m., while shuttles will run from 5 p.m. to 11 p.m.
The fireworks will start at 9:40 p.m., and a drone show will be coordinated along with it.
There will be events on the front stage and main stage throughout the event.
On the front stage, there will be music by the Keller Area Youth Jazz Orchestra at 6 p.m., followed by a hot dog eating contest at 7:15 p.m.
Emerald City Band will perform on the main stage from 7:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. Mayor Ross McMullin and City Council members will provide comments following the band, and a trumpet soloist will perform at 9:35 p.m.
There will be 16 drink/dessert vendors, seven merchants and 20 food vendors, according to Dawson’s presentation.
There will be:
- Patriotic rock painting station
- 4 face painters
- 4 balloon artists
- 4 caricature artists
- Temporary tattoo station
Dawson said the expected attendance will be between 25,000 and 30,000 people, depending on the weather.
Keller Hicks Road
A supplemental agreement between the city and Union Pacific Railroad Company for Keller Hicks Road improvements was tabled again, this time to July 7.
The first time the action was brought to the council was May 5 and it was tabled then, according to previous reporting.
The project, a joint initiative with the city of Fort Worth, started in 2023. Keller officials agreed to pay $213,917 for its portion of the project, according to previous reporting. The additional funding was for $104,000 following extra costs associated with fixing the crown of the road, said Alonzo Liñán, Keller public works director.
Raising the surface of the road 4 inches impacted the distance of the railroad arm crossing to the road, making it less than the TxDOT's Texas Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices height range of 3 1/2 feet to 4 1/2 feet, Liñán said.
He said the actual cost would probably be closer to between $85,000 and $90,000.
Rector said the city would have the final cost by the July meeting.
Mayor Pro Tem
Council member Shannon Dubberly was chosen as the Mayor Pro Tem, filling the role previously held by McMullin.
“It’s an honor and means a lot that my fellow colleagues trust me with this responsibility,” Dubberly said.
In addition, various board and committee appointments were made.
Newly elected council member Charles Randklev will be on the Keller Development Corp. and the Keller Sports Park Task Force.
