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Regular Meeting October 14, 2002 122. Page 9 cannot provide the service they need. Mr. Taylor stated he feels more customers will provide a cheaper cost. He inquired what effect this would have on the University if the City only has one vendor for residential and commercial solid waste services. Mr. Mark Taylor stated he was still researching the impact this will have on Southwest Texas. Mr. Mihalkanin stated the fuel costs causes some contracts to increase. He inquired if there is a way to lock in contract costs even if fuel costs increase. Mr. Mark Taylor stated fees may be increased or decreased equal to 90 percent of wage earners and 10 percent for fuel. Mr. Mayhew asked if the lack of experience with commercial accounts would delay the process. Mr. O'Leary stated yes this is a new area and he is not sure if the City will need to employ additional personnel to monitor these accounts. Mayor Habingreither stated he feels by including commercial accounts the City might be taking on more than we can handle. Mr. Mihalkanin stated when faced with public policy decisions, he would like to have data from other cities for comparison regarding the need for additional personnel. Mr. O'Leary stated the municipalities they contacted have always included commercial accounts and their experiences were different from ours. Mr. Taylor stated he saw this as an opportunity to lower costs for residential and commercial. Mr. Mihalkanin and Mayor Habingreither agreed to add commercial services to the RFP. Mr. O'Leary he needed direction regarding a recycle center. He suggested the recycling be a separate contract. Ms. Narvaiz stated she wants the recycling to be an RFP process and Council agreed by consensus. Mr. Mihalkanin stated he would like staff to make requirements clear for public notification to vacate. Mr. Taylor stated he wanted the RFP prepared with rates established. He would also like to see real dollar prices. Mr. O'Leary stated staff can bring the recycling service RFP to Council for review. He suggested charging a recycling fee to all residents who receive a utility bill from the City. Mr. O'Leary stated many communities charge a franchise fee to solid waste vendors. He stated these fees would go into the General Fund and be used for road maintenance. Council agreed by consensus. Mayor Habingreither introduced a discussion regarding the investigation of the campaign flyer. Mayor Habingreither stated he requested this item be placed on the agenda, because it has been four months since the City has had any feedback. Mr. Mark Taylor briefly discussed when the City first learned about the campaign flyers being circulated. He stated the Voting Rights Act was violated because the flyer was considered as intimidating to voters; and the State Election Laws were violated regarding campaign reporting requirements not appearing truthfully on the flyer. He also stated the Mayor sent letters to Local Law Enforcement, the Attorney General's Office and the Department of Justice. Mayor Habingreither stated he was not comfortable doing nothing. He proposed the Council hire a private investigator to show the citizens the Council wants to be proactive on this issue. Mr. O'Leary stated District Attorney Wenk advised the Texas Rangers probably would not investigate due to caseload. Mr. Taylor stated he supports the Mayor's proposal on hiring a private investigator. Mr. Montoya stated he too supports the Mayor's proposal. Mr. Mihalkanin asked staff to investigate methods other municipalities have used in similar