City Council

AD HOC REFUSE COMMITTEE MINUTES OF MONDAY, APRIL 8, 2019 A meeting of the Ad Hoc Refuse Committee was held on Monday, April 8, 2019 and was called to order at 10:00 a.m. in the Second Floor Conference Room, City Hall. PRESENT: Jim Grabowski, Matt Biolette, Mike Quinn, Jim Snoeyink, Shari Wild, Jeff Mikula ABSENT: Nicole Knapp OTHERS: City Manager Thad Taylor PURPOSE: To discuss and provide recommendations to City Council on the collection and disposal of refuse/garbage city-wide. DISCUSSION River Street:  Minutes of the February 19, 2019 meeting were distributed.  Jeff Mikula and Matt Biolette reported on recent discussions with the DDA Design Committee and the DDA Board actions of March 13, 2019. The DDA has approved a capital allocation of $80,000 for dumpster corrals. There were some concerns about the two locations selected.  City Staff and City Attorney will be working on an ordinance amendment regarding trash on River Street and use of the dumpsters.  The Spicer Group has been asked to work on a cost estimate for the design and construction of two dumpster corrals between US-31 and Maple Street. The DDA was not supportive of a roof or screening around the dumpsters.  DDA had some concerns about the two selected locations. Possible DDA land acquisition on River Street. Dennis terHorst provided the DDA with old file discussions regarding dumpsters and the two selected locations are the same now as in the past. Some DDA members felt the City could partner a little more with the DDA. City is providing property for the dumpsters in the DDA district.  Discussed options for fee structure / tier system. No trash would be allowed on River Street. If a property has an option to provide dumpster located on their property, they could opt out of the City’s program.  Dumpster program will not be completed prior to the summer season. Discussed next steps for this committee on city-wide refuse issues:  Matt Biolette and Jeff Mikula reviewed the current levels of service in the City. AD HOC REFUSE COMMITTEE – APRIL 8, 2019 PAGE 1  Republic is encouraging discontinuation of curbside recycling due to the low participation. Only 80 households participate in the curbside recycling program.  Republic recommends a 100% cart based program: fully automated, carts are paid for by the contractor and maintained by the contractor, helps to curb blight (encourages people to clean up residences and yards by having a larger receptacle available), less unsightly than mounds of trash bags.  Discussion on the Refuse Enterprise Fund and how a cart system would impact small users on a fixed income. Discussed option to provide a senior discount or use a Republic stamped bag. Would be a hard sell to the public without some consideration to the small user.  Republic reports that the current system is hard to audit. Some households pay for the smaller service yet put out more bags every week.  Discussed current system, recycling center, and yard waste costs and millage. Bulky item pickup has helped and seems to be working well. Current costs are: $5.50 for the mini service. $11.00 for the regular service, and $16.50 for cart service.  The main issue with the current system is unsightly garbage along the curb.  Republic does not want to offer the smaller cart service. They do not work well with the automated trucks and causes additional expenses. It’s been difficult for Republic to find workers, moving to a more automated system will be good for both the City and Republic.  Discussed household hazardous waste program. City eliminated this because the County also provides this service and instead has provided a variety of other recycling events for tires, paint, and electronic waste this June. CONSENSUS  Matt Biolette and Republic will take the next 60 days to prepare estimates on three options: o Complete cart system o Cart system with an exception for non-homestead rentals o Cart and Bag system Republic will provide option proposals to City staff by June 5, after their review a meeting of the Refuse Committee will be scheduled. ADJOURN Adjourned at 11:00 a.m. Cynthia Lokovich, CAP OM Executive Secretary AD HOC REFUSE COMMITTEE – APRIL 8, 2019 PAGE 2