DALLAS - A $700,000 contract approved by the Dallas City Council allows the City to add global positioning satellite (GPS) tracking to all 400 city sanitation vehicles, according to MSNBC.

Several Councilmembers voted against the contract over concerns by the sanitation drivers union and a rejected GPS bidder. The City has been testing GPS tracking on 70 sanitation trucks for some time.

Sanitation Director Mary Nix says expanding the technology to the entire fleet will improve efficiency.

"This system will pay for itself in the first, second, and third years," said Nix. "In fact we expect to get some additional savings in year two and three."

The City uses GPS mapping to help construct routes and locate the closest truck for citizens reporting missed pickups.

Local 5 of The Service Employees International Union says the money would have been better spent clearing thousands of overgrown Dallas alleys that delay garbage trucks.

"There's no proof that it's going to work," said union spokesperson Elisa Gonzalez. "

Rejected bidder Clarence Lindsey claims the winning bidder is unreliable.

Lindsey told the city council, "You're going to spend millions of dollars to try and correct this."

However, according to Nix, the City investigated the winning company thoroughly, confirming it is fit for the job and that safeguards in the contract protect the city in the event of problems.