Crockett city council on Feb. 3 directed city staff to negotiate revisions to the existing exclusive franchise agreement with Pineywoods Sanitation rather than go immediately to an open bidding process.

Councilmembers and city staff said they favored negotiating because Pineywoods has established local operations, invested in equipment and jobs, and because switching vendors could delay service and require new capital outlays by any replacement contractor.

City officials and Pineywoods representatives described investments made since the current contract began: Pineywoods’ local manager said the company purchased collection carts and containers, trucks and has invested in a local transfer station. "We've spent over a hundred thousand dollars on these carts that were brought into the city. We spent over a quarter million dollars on containers that were brought into the city. We have over a million dollars worth of trucks here," said Tim Terry, identified in the meeting as Pineywoods’ local site manager.

Council members pressed for clearer communications and performance guarantees. City staff said many missed-pickup complaints and roll-off orders fell outside the city’s billing loop and were billed directly to Pineywoods for customers outside city limits, creating confusion. Staff recommended a dedicated local phone line and enforceable contract provisions for missed collections and after-hours pickups.

Pineywoods’ municipal manager, Sonny Hubbard, described the company’s local footprint and economic ties: employees hired locally, a mechanic shop moved to Crockett, and use of the city transfer station to contain bulky waste. Hubbard said the local operation had created additional jobs beyond earlier agreements and noted the practical costs of replacing that infrastructure: "To get as cheap as what you have right now, I don't think it's gonna be possible simply because we're using equipment we're appreciating. We're not having to buy a lot of new equipment." His remarks were presented to the council during the public conversation.

Council members also asked that annual price adjustments be clarified. The contract includes a cap on increases tied to CPI; staff said prior negotiations capped annual increases at 3 percent. Councilmembers asked that the contract language be tightened to prevent retroactive or skipped-year adjustments that could exceed the cap.

After discussion, a motion instructing staff to pursue negotiations and to schedule a workshop for council review carried unanimously. City staff said they would set a date for a workshop, draft proposed contract changes (including communications and performance metrics) and return to council before the formal franchise deadline in May.

The council’s decision preserves the current service while giving members a pathway to tighten enforcement, require a local phone number for complaints and consider contract remedies for missed collections. City staff said the May timeline is tied to the franchise notice window in the existing contract.

What happens next: staff will draft a recommended set of contract amendments and a workshop agenda for council review. If negotiations fail or council later decides to go to bid, the council must issue formal notice within the timeline set in the existing franchise agreement.