09.08.2026 Study Session

City of Leavenworth study session (the title lists 09.08.2026; meeting metadata gives 2026-10-12). The main procurement discussion concerned Waste Management’s proposal to provide bear-resistant trash carts citywide and potentially take over commercial waste collection. The city’s current residential contract, signed in 2019 for 10 years, has about two years and four months remaining; the proposal could require signing a new 10-year contract early. Staff and the vendor discussed a possible additional charge of about $5 per month for residents, compared with the current roughly $15 monthly add-on, and an estimated cost of about $500,000 to purchase enough carts for all accounts. Commercial service, downtown recycling, cart sizes, and effects on the city’s existing equipment and service were also raised. No contract decision or vote was made; council members asked for further analysis, including a full financial proposal and clarification of rates, before considering next steps.

A presenter also reviewed the county lodging-tax framework and Leavenworth-area tourism funding, including proposed allocations of $30,000 each for Christmas Town operations and decorating, and expressed concern about maintaining the Chamber’s county lodging-tax support. The council received updates on comprehensive-plan and development-code work, including water-service provisions, but took no procurement-related action. A possible 0.1% sales-tax increase to support nonprofit grants and a cultural-access funding discussion were raised for possible future study-session consideration; no action was taken on those proposals.