By BECKY KISER
Hays Post

Following some pointed discussion and questions from one audience member, Hays City Commissioners voted Thursday night to extend the contract for sewer cleaning and videoing with Mayer Specialty Services, LLC.

The Goddard company has had the contract since 2013, when the city started a progressive program to pinpoint sewer lines that need to be repaired or replaced.

One third of the town, or 36 miles, is cleaned and inspected each year. According to Assistant Utilities Director Johnny O’Connor, city employees are only able to get to half of that.

“The past two years of cleaning have identified over 140 points of repair in our system. This year the oldest part of our system will be cleaned and inspected. The Utilities Department has existing staff that does emergency call-outs for sewer backups. We also have a semi-annual cleaning route and maintain troubled areas in our system.  We don’t have enough employees to clean one-third of the town (sewers) every year.  That’s why we contract out for half of the one-third,” O’Connor explained to commissioners.

The 2015 contract of $1.23 a foot with Mayer Specialty Services is not to exceed $120,000 and will be funded from Wastewater Other Contractual Services.

Mayer was the low bidder in 2013 at $1.19 per linear foot. Their contract continued the
with a 1.5% increase to $1.21 per foot for 2014. The 2015 contract is a 2% increase to $1.23 per foot.

“That’s still lower than the second lowest bidder we had in 2013,” Utilities Director Bernie Kitten pointed out.

“They have a special recording camera and GPS which has been integrated into our software system.  We had quite a bit of trouble with it the first year; they got it figured out and we’re getting our data (about areas needing repair),” he said.