The regular Sparks City Council meeting today will feature a presentation on plants, a taskforce on taxes and some talk of trash.

As they consider an exclusive franchise agreement with Waste Management of Northern Nevada, council members say they must find a balance between keeping garbage rates low and promoting competition between businesses.

The council will be presented with two options. The first would extend the previously existing franchise agreement that the city held with Waste Management to cover all waste generated in Sparks, with some exceptions. These exceptions include construction waste, landscaping waste such as tree trimmings and some recyclables. The franchise agreement would give Waste Management the exclusive right to collect garbage in Sparks with some exceptions, including those listed above.

This option would have a minimal effect on rates, according to a staff report. The rates would be defined within city code and would only be adjusted annually according to a consumer price index. Rate adjustment currently appears on consumers’ bills every February.

The council’s second option is to limit the franchise agreement to only the collection of garbage. All other types of refuse, typically dry waste, could potentially be collected by third-party trash hauling companies.

According to staff materials, rates could potentially increase by 38 percent if this plan were to be adopted.

Should the city council choose the second option, the garbage market would be characterized by an open-market structure. This would allow local companies, such as CastAway Trash Hauling, to remain in the market.

In addition to the talk of trash, the council will listen to a presentation on local taxes. The Fairness in Reno Sparks Taxes task force has spent the past few months reassessing the local tax distribution structure and formulating ideas for how tax revenue can be distributed more equally among government entities.

The report will suggest legislative action that the council can take toward reassessing local tax structures.

At the beginning of the meeting, attendees will get a preview of the hardscape plan for the Legends at Sparks Marina project. The project’s design will be presented along with the layout of the common areas that the project will provide to visitors.