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• FALCON HEIGHTS CITY COUNCIL MINUTES -12- June 23, 2004 Interim report from the Solid Waste Commission on organized collection (continued) Mayor Gehrz invited commentary on this subject from members of the audience. Mr. Ray Garcia, 1906 North Prior Avenue, said that if it ain't broke, don't fix it. Falcon Woods residents are very happy with the service they get from their hauler. They don't see the damage to the streets like what they have heard about. The United States was formed and operates on the basis of a competitive free enterprise system. Now we are tinkering with the free enterprise system, interfering with freedom of expression and freedom of choice. A resident can talk to their hauler and tell him to improve or the resident will go elsewhere and get a better deal, or the resident can simply go elsewhere. Mr. Will Rogers, 1947 Autumn, said that 90% of the people they have talked to like their hauler and the system they have. He is familiar with haulers and how they operate. Falcon Heights has four different neighborhoods. He has been to the landfill at Elk River. Landfills are governed by Federal law. His general opinion is to leave this alone. The residents are satisfied with what they have. He doesn't think the environment is being destroyed all that much. • Mayor Gehrz said this is not a public hearing. Anyone who is here is always welcome to make comments and ask questions. Their comments will be added in to the record of input. How do we best communicate the steps and the process to the people in the community and how can people who have opinions about it get heard? Meetings have been held. The City Council can be contacted by e-mail, phone and mail. Her concern is when the Solid Waste Commission is ready to make a recommendation to the City Council and the City Council tries to make a decision the same night. In this particular process this might be a mistake. She would like to create time between receiving the recommendation and voting on the recommendation. The City communicates through a variety of ways. Once a month flyers are delivered to the neighbors. The City did a first class mailing to residents and received one response, from Tom Baldwin. The City didn't hear from anyone else until the haulers did mailings to their customers. The City uses mailings, monthly flyers, newsletters, the City web site and cable. The Council has no desire to make a decision with people feeling they have had no opportunity to be heard. Flyers, newsletters, the City web site, and first class mailings will continue to be used because residents' opinions are valued. Council member Kuettel asked if there would be any point to doing a second survey. Mayor Gehrz said the City Council has not talked about that but it is worth talking about and looking at because it also provides an opportunity to start some of the education process. The Solid Waste Commission and Deb Jones, on City staff, have worked very hard to research and gather a lot of information. That information ought to be of value to every individual and single family residence because each of us is making our own decisions about how we generate and manage our own waste and trash. From what the City Council has heard people ask for in some of the • original meetings, people are looking to the City to give them information. Where does the waste go now and what are the implications of that? I~j