BFI pressures City of Kirby

Click on the image below and read the Kirby City Agenda item 6a.  It provides interesting information regarding BFI, the city of Kirby, and the pressure BFI is placing on the city council members.

In brief, Mr. Davis of BFI stated that he had a "moral obligation to his organization to determine whether the City of Kirby  and BFI can continue to have a productive working relationship."  This working relationship apparently hinged upon a resolution of neutrality with respect to the BFI Tessman Road Landfill expansion.  BFI has been urging the city of Kirby to pass a resolution of neutrality.  Now comes BFI stating that they have not signed their recently awarded refuse contract with the city of Kirby--nor do they plan to sign it until this resolution is addressed.

The memo clearly states that if BFI does not accept the contract then the city will have to move up to the next lowest bidder.  This will cost the city of Kirby about $150,000 dollars or about $60 more per year per residence.

Faced with this alternative staff recommends passing the resolution of neutrality.

Those of us who are surprised by the type of pressure BFI is placing on the city of Kirby should take a few moments to review BFI's nation-wide history.  There you will find that in 1984, 1985, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1998, and 1999 BFI has either been fined, sued, or paid a settlement for bribery, or price fixing, or bid rigging, or illegal contracts, or ... and the list goes on.

In this instance our County Commissioner, Tommy Adkisson got involved.  He wrote a stinging letter to Mr. Davis.  Click on the images below to read the letter.

Through the public exposure of this agenda item and quick actions of our county BFI signed the contract before this agenda item was brought before the city council and the resolution of neutrality was not passed.

We had a close call this time but through the hard work of several community leaders the city of Kirby was spared.