Hi Friends!

Thank you to everyone who attended the City Council meeting with us last week. It's starting to feel like a combination of Old Home Week and Groundhog Day!! 

Thanks to our speakers who, once again, made excellent arguments against the alley to curb transition while offering solutions such as outsourcing. 

We've had good coverage on this issue from the Dallas Morning News, NBC Channel 5, Fox Channel 4, KERA, The Dallas Observer and others.

Here's the link to the full City Council Meeting:

https://dallastx.new.swagit.com/videos/374126

Here's a transcribed version:

Summary:
 
The February 4, 2026, City Council briefing focused on the "Sanitation Route Safety and Efficiency Initiative." The meeting featured strong opposition from the public regarding the elimination of alley service, a presentation of new survey data by City staff, and a fractured Council debate regarding how to proceed.

Public Comments Several residents addressed the Council, universally opposing the transition to curbside pickup.

     *Survey Results: Speakers highlighted that 93% of respondents to the City's recent survey favored keeping alley service. One speaker noted that 10,000 households responded, a significant sample size that the City should not dismiss.
    *Outsourcing: Multiple speakers argued that if the City cannot manage the liability or cost of alley collection, it should outsource the service to private providers who operate successfully in neighboring cities like Allen and Arlington,.
   *Safety and Maintenance: Residents argued that safety issues stem from the City’s failure to maintain alley infrastructure and the purchase of trucks that are too wide for the alleys.

Staff Presentation Sanitation Director Clifton Gillespie presented the results of a targeted survey of 44,000 customers with alleys 9-feet wide or less.

  * Survey Findings: While acknowledging that respondents "heavily favored" (93%) continuing alley collection, staff emphasized that overall participation was limited and cautioned against treating the results as a definitive citywide preference,.
   *Options Presented: Staff presented four potential paths forward–:
      1.Hybrid Approach: Transition alleys under 9ft wide where 60% of homes have front driveways (~26,000 locations).
      2.Tightened Hybrid: Transition only where 100% of homes have front driveways (~10,000 locations).
      3.Targeted/Critical: Transition only alleys with critical safety issues in areas with low survey response rates (~5,000 locations).
      4.No Transition (Status Quo): Continue alley service subject to existing criteria.
   *Recommendation: Staff argued against Option 4 (Status Quo) because safety risks cannot be eliminated, and it would require incident-driven, block-by-block shutdowns. They also proposed implementing a tiered rate structure in FY 2027, where alley customers would pay a higher rate than curbside customers.

Council Discussion and Feedback The Council provided mixed feedback, with significant pushback against forced transitions.

Opposition to Forced Transition:
   *Council Member Mendelsohn (District 12) strongly opposed any transition, citing the high survey response rate as a clear mandate. She criticized the presentation for failing to include an "outsourcing" option and failing to address the City's purchase of 9.5-foot wide trucks for narrow alleys,.
   *Council Member Roth (District 11) stated his district is "not in favor" of the change and called for the policy pursuit to stop immediately. He argued the City is punishing residents for problems (poor alley maintenance, wrong trucks) created by the City,.
   *Council Member Johnson (District 4) stated his residents do not support the change, citing the burden on seniors, and invited administration to walk the district with him to see the challenges firsthand.

Equity and Cost Concerns:
   *Council Member Bazaldua (District 7) argued that the status quo is inequitable because residents in Southern Dallas (who mostly lack alleys) are subsidizing a "premier service" for Northern Dallas residents. He supported making hard decisions to address inefficiencies,.
   *Deputy Mayor Pro Tem Willis(District13) suggested that if residents want alley service and are willing to pay for it, they should keep it, provided safety issues aren't insurmountable.

Data and Survey Interpretation:
   *Mayor Pro Tem Moreno (District 2) and Council Member Resendez (District 5) warned staff not to interpret "non-responses" to the survey as permission to cut service,.
   *Council Member Gracey (District 3) requested data comparing the cost of property damage in alleys versus streets. Staff admitted they did not have a specific cost number available during the meeting.

Outcome City Manager Kimberly Bizor Tolbert concluded that the administration would take the next 3 to 6 months to continue engagement and look for further solutions, potentially including a tiered rate structure, rather than moving immediately to implementation.

PLEASE CONTINUE TO REACH OUT TO YOUR RESPECTIVE COUNCIL MEMBERS! VOICE YOUR CONCERNS AND OFFER THANKS TO THOSE WHO ARE SUPPORTING OUR EFFORTS. LOTS OF GOOD QUESTIONS WERE ASKED OF THE SANITATION DIRECTOR BY OUR COUNCIL MEMBERS. WE LOOK FORWARD TO GETTING THE ANSWERS.

For more information, go to: www.keepalleytrash.com

Thanks everyone!

The fight's not over yet!