An Orlando-based consulting firm has reviewed every aspect of Kingsport’s sanitation services and recently proposed several recommendations to help make the service more sustainable in the near future.
MSW Consultants of Orlando, Fla., conducted a nearly year-long study of Kingsport’s sanitation services in 2022, which included site visits, a review of operations, facilities and equipment, benchmarking against other communities and a cost-analysis of the services.
MSW is a management consulting firm specializing in the waste and recycling industry.
“We enlisted MSW because we wanted to know if we were doing business effectively and efficiently. Are we doing the right things and doing the right things well?” said Deputy City Manager Ryan McReynolds.
Kingsport’s sanitation services have an annual budget of $5.45 million with $3.2 million coming from fees and $2.2 million coming from the general fund. City staff would like to see the services be more sustainable.
To do that, MSW offered several recommendations for the city to consider:
- If the city does not reinstate curbside recycling due to costs and resources, collect the blue recycling carts or transition them to second garbage carts for a fee.
- Collect all the non-paying extra garbage carts.
- Add a full-service convenience center and establish code enforcement rules for curbside trash.
- Adjust the fees for voluntary customers.
- Expand to full-time roll-off dumpster service.
If these recommendations are approved by the Board of Mayor and Aldermen and implemented, the city would then reassess the fees associated with city residential sanitation services.
“This process will likely take at least three years to fully implement with the overall goal being to create a more cost-effective, sustainable service in the long term for our citizens,” McReynolds said.
The consultant’s study and recommendations were presented to the Board of Mayor and Aldermen during a day-long, strategic planning session held Monday (March 20) at city hall. The BMA also heard updates from staff on the city’s finances, economic development efforts and budget priorities for the coming year.
To view this presentation, please click here.
To view the presentations from the strategic planning session, visit www.kingsporttn.gov.