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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCCMin_04Jun23CITY OF FALCON HEIGHTS COUNCIL MINUTES June 23, 2004 Mayor Gehrz called the regular Council meeting to order. PRESENT: Mayor Sue Gehrz, Council members Laura Kuettel, Robert Lamb, Peter Lindstrom and Richard Talbot Also present: City Administrator Heather Worthington and Deputy Clerk Mary Shea Kodluboy COMMUNITY FORUM: There was no commentary from the audience. PRESENTATIONS: Recognition of Kimberly Greenstein, recipient of the Girl Scouts Gold Award Mayor Gehrz said that about 3,000 Girl Scouts receive the Gold Award each year. To qualify for the award, girls have to complete extensive leadership training, skill development and career exploration. In addition, they have to perform 50 hours of community service. Kimberly is one of 108 Girl Scouts from the Girl Scout Council of the St. Croix Valley who received the award this year. She asked Kimberly to describe her community service project for the benefit of the viewing audience. Kimberly said she collected over 100 toys and trucks that were distributed to shelters in the area. Money for this project was raised through contributions from local businesses and a volleyball tournament. Mayor Gehrz presented Kimberly with a City pin and thanked her for her involvement and contribution to the community. Recognition of Bill Maertz, Parks and Public Works Director Mayor Gehrz said that Bill Maertz, Parks and Public Works Director, has been with Falcon Heights for almost seven years, but is leaving to become the Director of Parks for the City of Elk River. Elk River has the desire and resources to develop a new park system to meet local and regional needs. She is very happy for Bill and Elk River. During the seven years that Bill has been part of the Falcon Heights team, he has quietly and effectively contributed to the great quality of life in Falcon Heights. The taxpayers have Bill to thank for writing many grant proposals that brought thousands of dollars to the City. Bill cares deeply about people. Several years ago she was working on something at City Hall when a very tired man stopped in. He was confused by the bus schedule and had been waiting for a bus for several hours. Bill put his regular work on hold to determine what the man’s needs were and then took the man back to his home in Minneapolis. Responsive public service is why we are here. She told Bill that he is leaving a wonderful legacy behind and thanked him for all that he has done. FALCON HEIGHTS CITY COUNCIL MINUTES -2- June 23, 2004 Mayor Gehrz explained to the viewing audience that a special Council meeting was held on Monday, June 21, 2004 to discuss the 800 MHz dispatch system and formulate a recommendation for presentation to the Ramsey County Board of Commissioners on Tuesday, June 22. When residents watch the video replay of tonight’s meeting they will also see a replay of the Monday evening meeting. APPROVAL OF MINUTES: Council member Kuettel asked that the words, “and wreath sale”, be deleted on page 3, first paragraph. She said the Lions only sell Christmas trees. The minutes were unanimously approved, as amended. PUBLIC HEARINGS: None Scheduled CONSENT AGENDA: Kuettel moved approval of the Consent Agenda, as outlined below. The motion was unanimously approved. General Disbursements through June 17, 2004: $ 117,638.42 Payroll (06/01/04-06/15/04): $ 13,308.11 2. Approval of second partial pay estimate to Jay Brothers, Inc., in the gross amount of $20,075, less retainage of $1,003.75, net of $19,071.25, for the 2004 Curtiss Field Pond improvements project POLICY AGENDA: Consider resolution authorizing Mayor Gehrz to accept tickets and a parking pass as guest of honor at a State Fair event Mayor Gehrz said she has been invited to attend the Mayor’s dinner at the State Fair in August, and also offered a parking pass and complimentary ticket to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police Musical Ride performance. City Attorney Knutson indicates that in order for her to accept the tickets and parking pass, she must obtain permission from the City Council, according to State statute and recent legal interpretations of the gift ban. She said that if any elected official is invited to an event and asked to give a speech, legally the official can accept a ticket to the event. The State Fair has not asked her to give a speech, but they have asked her to give them something to read. The resolution being proposed must be approved by a 2/3 vote. Council member Lamb said the resolution isn’t asking the City to pay for anything. It authorizes the Mayor to accept tickets and a parking pass from the State Fair. FALCON HEIGHTS CITY COUNCIL MINUTES -3- June 23, 2004 Consider resolution authorizing Mayor Gehrz to accept tickets and a parking pass as guest of honor at a State Fair event (continued) RESOLUTION 2004-13 Kuettel moved adoption of Resolution 2004-13 authorizing Mayor Gehrz to accept tickets and a parking pass as guest of honor at a State Fair event. The motion was approved with four votes in favor and Mayor Gehrz abstaining from voting. Interim report from the Solid Waste Commission on organized collection Administrator Worthington said that since the Council passed a resolution of intent to organize refuse collection on March 24, 2004, the Solid Waste Commission has met five times – twice with a group of haulers, once in a public meeting, and twice for regular Commission meetings. As directed by the Council on March 24, the Commissioners have undertaken an in-depth study of all the issues related to the goals, which were approved by the Council on January 28. Although they have collected a large amount of information in a very short time, the Commissioners voted at their June 10 meeting to extend by one month the planning period described in the statute for the following reasons: Insufficient time to absorb and discuss the information that has been collected to date The need for additional research in several areas The need for additional time to formulate a plan as called for in the statute The Commission sought the advice of the City Attorney to confirm that an extension would not invalidate the process. He confirmed that the 90 days given in the statute for the planning phase is a minimum, and that the only Council action needed is a declaration of the end of the planning period when the time comes. Therefore, the Solid Waste Commission has directed staff to notify the Council of the need for an extension and to submit a summary of progress to date. Mayor Gehrz said there is a tremendous amount of interest in this subject and there are several residents in attendance this evening. She asked Administrator Worthington to read aloud the Solid Waste Commission’s summary of progress, to date, for the benefit of the viewing audience, and the Commission’s summary of progress is outlined below. Solid Waste Commission Interim Report on Organized Collection Study Introduction On March 24, 2004, the City Council passed a resolution of intent to organize refuse collection under the provisions of Minnesota Statute 115A.04. FALCON HEIGHTS CITY COUNCIL MINUTES -4- June 23, 2004 Interim report from the Solid Waste Commission on organized collection (continued) The Council stated very clearly that their approval of the resolution of intent was not a final approval of organized collection, but a direction to the Solid Waste Commission to continue their study of all sides of the issue, with the final decision to be made later. Since March 24, the Solid Waste Commission has met six times: Commission meetings on April 14, May 13, and June 10 Meetings with haulers on April 20 and May 12 Public informational meeting on May 20 In addition the Commissioners have gathered a large amount of research material and met with the City Attorney to explore options. Comments from residents (and some non-residents) have been collected in a dossier that has been copied to both the Commission and the Council. Comments from Residents Total number of residents whose comments are recorded: 71 Number favoring organized collection: 22 Number opposed: 34 Number who said they had no opinion: 8 Number who only had questions: 7 Ratio of “opposed” to “in favor” at March 24 hearing: Estimated at 2 to 1 May 20 public meeting: All but 1 person were opposed. A letter was sent to all R-1 residents on January 29, enclosing a copy of the Commission’s goals, but by far the most comment seemed to be generated by mailings from haulers. These letters, generated from an industry template and reprinted on each company’s letterhead, were nearly identical to letters sent out during the Ramsey-Washington Counties organized collection process in 2002, made unsubstantiated predictions about price rises, and encouraged a negative response to the City’s efforts. In spite of these mailings, many residents contacted Staff and Council to express their approval of the idea of organized collection. Some of their reasons are summarized here: More wear and tear on roads caused by extra trips under current system. Extra trips mean more fuel consumed, more air pollution, more traffic congestion. More traffic is a safety concern. Organized collection is more efficient – basic logic – suggesting being able to pass savings on to residents. City has more bargaining power than an individual owner yielding potentially better price for residents. City has experience handling contracts like this in answer to whether it will be more burden for city. FALCON HEIGHTS CITY COUNCIL MINUTES -5- June 23, 2004 Interim report from the Solid Waste Commission on organized collection (continued) A larger number contacted the City or came to the public meetings to express their disapproval. “Choice” is a very important factor to these residents. (Reference: March 24 Public Hearing, May 20 Public Meeting and communications from individuals) Many want “choice” so they can keep the hauler they have; they are concerned that a city contract would force them to have a hauler they don’t want. Many prefer a local hauler and do not want to give their business to a large, non-local corporation. Some have the misconception that the Commission is ONLY supportive of a single hauler in the City. The goal explicitly states zoning and multiple haulers. Some assume that a city-wide contract would mean that local haulers would not be considered and would be put out of business, although this is certainly not a goal of the Commission or a necessary outcome of the organized collection process. Some residents say they like being able to change haulers whenever they want. Some are opposed to government involvement in anything. Environment and City infrastructure are also very important issues to most residents (Reference: Public Hearing on March 24, Public Meeting on May 20 and communications from individual residents) They do care about where refuse goes. They do care about the impact of trucks on the street. They do care about how much trash is produced and want effort and education directed toward reduction. Hauler Meetings The two meetings on April 20 and May 12 were generally positive and constructive. The haulers have provided a large amount of research material to the Commissioners. (See Research section.) Commissioners and haulers agree that most of the goals proposed by the Commission can be met under the current system (Reference: April 20 hauler meeting), provided: All the residents of Falcon Heights make informed, wise and environmentally sound choices. The haulers come through with adjustments and compromises they have informally offered. (See below) The following goals can be met by residents making wise use of service options available to them now (Reference: April 20 hauler meeting) Competitive prices Temporary suspension of service Choice of bin size Service options such as yard waste Quarterly billing Haulers have expressed willingness to voluntarily impose adjustments that would mitigate the effects of trucks on the streets and alleys. To date only two haulers have acted on these expressions of concern. We have reservations about follow-through when all we have are verbalizations of concern. (Reference: April 20 and May 12 hauler meetings) Bring trucks into the City empty. FALCON HEIGHTS CITY COUNCIL MINUTES -6- June 23, 2004 Interim report from the Solid Waste Commission on organized collection (continued) Train drivers to enter and exit from alleys with left turns, reducing the damage to curbs and boulevards. Cooperate with residents’ or the City’s requests not to drive on streets or alleys where they have no customers. In addition the haulers have also informally stated that they could voluntarily do the following: Allow the City to provide educational material to be enclosed in bills. Take all garbage from Falcon Heights to the Resource Recovery Facility in Newport. Commissioners are mindful that, without an organized collection contract, there is no way to enforce these voluntary accommodations over time. Research in Progress Truck Impact on City Streets and Alleys (in progress) The number and weight of trucks is the variable that determines how much impact this industry has on our streets and alleys. (Reference: April 20 and May 12 hauler meetings) The haulers themselves acknowledged this at the May 12 meeting. They agreed that the goal of reducing the number and weight of trucks will not be met under an open system. They argued that the freedom of the market outweighs this consideration. One hauler offered the idea of limiting the number of hauling licenses in the City – which can be done without organizing collection. The Commissioners point out that limiting the number of haulers is not necessarily consistent with the haulers’ desire for a “free and open competitive market”. Haulers presented evidence the relationship between truck weight and street wear is not simple. Other factors are: number of axles, whether the truck is center-loaded or rear-loaded and how many stops a truck makes. Haulers have referenced research showing that the number of stops and starts have more impact than the number of trucks. However, in Falcon Heights, the number of stops and starts is the same regardless of how many trucks make those stops. Destination of Refuse (in progress) Most trash in Ramsey County goes to the Resource Recovery Center in Newport. This is an outcome of the Ramsey-Washington County organized collection process in 2002. Commissioners visited the facility in April. All haulers who operate in the two counties must contract to deliver all their trash or a percentage to the RRF. Some are contracted to deliver all their refuse to the RRF; others are contracted to deliver a percentage of their refuse to the RRF. Most haulers licensed for residential pickup in Falcon Heights have stated that all Falcon Heights trash goes to the RRF. However, without organized collection there is no way to verify that this is true on an ongoing basis, or to guarantee that it will be true at any future time. The contracts between haulers and Ramsey County are for a limited term. FALCON HEIGHTS CITY COUNCIL MINUTES -7- June 23, 2004 Interim report from the Solid Waste Commission on organized collection (continued) The RRF is most efficient when it has a guaranteed stream of waste, which can only be achieved on our end by organized collection. In terms of reducing the need to consume primary energy resources, such as oil and natural gas, RRFs are much more effective. Modern landfills are equipped to deal with waste from a resource recovery facility in a safe way. Incineration produces energy and greatly reduces the volume of waste that eventually goes to landfills. There are concerns about the production of dioxins and other pollution from burning. Haulers presented educational material about modern landfills in an effort to show that incineration (via the Newport Resource Recovery Facility) is not necessarily a better option, environmentally. (Reference: May 12 hauler meeting and packet of printed materials submitted by Mr. Doug Carnival) Commissioners have arranged to visit the Elk River Landfill in late June. All landfills in Minnesota and surrounding states comply with strict federal standards that are supposed to keep pollution from seeping into soil and groundwater for at least 20 years. The technology is not old enough to evaluate its effectiveness over a longer term. Commissioners concede that waste management technology has improved since our "father's dump" days. This has largely come about through legislated and legal precedents. However, Commissioners are interested in meeting more than minimum standards especially when it comes to our children and grandchildren's future. “We do not want to leave a ‘mess’ for them to clean up.” Modern landfills also produce energy from the burning of methane gas. Options for Achieving the Goals The major goals that cannot be met through the present open system are Reducing the number and size of trucks on our streets and alleys. Controlling such factors as fuel efficiency and load type for trucks. Controlling the destination of our residential trash. (see below) It has been suggested that the City can accomplish these goals through licensing. According to the City Attorney, the City’s ability to achieve any of the goals through licensing is limited (Reference: City Attorney Roger Knutson). Licensing could control the following: Number of hauler licenses available in the City Licensing could not be used to control the following Where the trash goes Weight and configuration of trucks (e.g. center-loading vs. rear-loading) Fuel efficiency of trucks Limiting truck traffic to streets and alleys ONLY where the haulers have customers Controlling the truck miles traveled to collect our trash Controlling the emissions of the trucks used FALCON HEIGHTS CITY COUNCIL MINUTES -8- June 23, 2004 Interim report from the Solid Waste Commission on organized collection (continued) The following goals can be met by residents making wise use of service options available to them now (Reference: April 20 hauler meeting) Competitive prices Temporary suspension of service Choice of bin size Service options such as yard waste Quarterly billing Mayor Gehrz said that normally reports of this nature aren’t read into the record but because of the importance of this issue to the residents of the community, the Council wants to be sure to keep everyone informed. The report contains a lot of information. There are two things she wants to speak to. One, it is important, when summarizing some of the issues, to try to make sure we are reflecting the major issues we have heard. To a great extent, this has been done. It is missing in one area, an area she heard a lot about from people who contacted her. She suggested that some additional wording be added on page 20 of the interim report, point #5, currently worded as follows: “Some residents say they like being able to change haulers whenever they want.” She recommended that the sentence be worded as follows: “Some residents say they like being able to change haulers whenever they want to improve the quality of service and/or to reduce cost.” The general consensus of the Council was agreement with Mayor Gehrz’ recommendation to add the additional phraseology, as outlined above. Council member Lindstrom asked where the Council goes from here. Administrator Worthington said the Solid Waste Commission study may very well take two months. It may be August or through the end of the summer before they bring a recommendation back before the City Council. They have been asked to put a finite amount of time on their process. Council member Lamb said that legally this requires no extension. This is an interim report. When we talked about this back in March, we talked about two, three-month periods, which the statute requires as the minimum periods under law. The Commission has gotten through about 80% of the issues with the haulers, with a lot of resident input. There are two issues that are very, very complex and revolve around trucks and the related issues of wear and tear on the roads, emissions, air pollution, etc. The second set of issues, which are still unresolved, have to do with the disposal of waste. That is, is it better to mandate that everything go to the Newport facility as opposed to the use of landfills? The report points out that landfills have come a long way. There are some stringent rules about capping them every night and designing them in such a way that runoff doesn’t pollute the groundwater. There are two scheduled tours to a landfill at Elk River on June 27 and June 29, where members of the Commission and the haulers are going to tour some of the modern landfills to see what they really look like and what really happens. FALCON HEIGHTS CITY COUNCIL MINUTES -9- June 23, 2004 Interim report from the Solid Waste Commission on organized collection (continued) Council member Lamb said the critical issue about landfills is that, under law, they are mandated to be managed for 20 years after closure. The people who manage the landfill have the responsibility for 20 years after closure. The question is: Is 20 years long enough when you think about environmental impact? The downside of using the incinerator is that the waste tends to have a higher percentage of toxins. You are left with heavy metals and how do you dispose of that? These issues are not simple and require a lot of study. There are environmental people and educational institutions on one side of the issue, and haulers and waste facility managers on the other side of the issue. As usual, it is very difficult to sort through all of the facts. Where the Commission is: If you go through all of the goals, the two goals that are really in dispute have to do with environmental impact and the issue of trucks and road maintenance as it relates to having five trucks as opposed to one, two or three. The statute says that the City needs to set up a schedule of at least three months to study this. Three months isn’t long enough to do a study and do an adequate job. The City Council does not have to grant permission to go past the three months as we are just getting an interim report this evening. After the first period, if the Commission believes there is enough to go ahead, to go to managed collection, which could either mean a single hauler in the City or a single hauler within zones of the City, the next period is dedicated to trying to figure out how best to negotiate contracts with haulers who would then serve the City. It is an elongated study period. The first period is more or less studying the issues of the industry and the second period has more to do with studying the current marketplace that we live in. That second period won’t start until the first period is completed. Council member Lindstrom said that several months ago there seemed to be some real confusion about the Newport facility and its ability to handle everything. Council member Lamb said the haulers’ representatives came to the initial meeting and said the Newport facility could not handle the volume of waste. They said they were taking their waste to Newport. The Ramsey County website said two of the City’s haulers trucked 100% to Newport and two trucked a percentage of their waste to Newport. Haulers said that if they brought all of their waste to Newport the facility could not handle that volume of waste. There are four tracks or assembly lines at the Newport facility. Everything is sorted. Two tracks are in use and two are not because they don’t have sufficient waste contracted to them to keep all four going. The Newport facility has more capacity than volume. The County’s web site that lists the haulers has not been updated and that is the fault of Ramsey and Washington Counties. At least one of the City’s haulers is adamant they are taking all of their waste to Newport. The haulers have signed five year contracts to either bring all or some of their waste to Newport. Contracts will help manage and stabilize the quantities coming in. FALCON HEIGHTS CITY COUNCIL MINUTES -10- June 23, 2004 Interim report from the Solid Waste Commission on organized collection (continued) Council member Kuettel said she had some questions that she hoped could be answered during the next month or two of study, unless Council member Lamb, as Council liaison to the Solid Waste Commission, knew the answers right now. She said that some of the haulers stated they would not be able to bid on a portion or full City collection if we went to organized collection. How many said that? Council member Lamb said that if the City goes to organized collection and zoned hauling, all of the current haulers are prepared to submit bids for zones. If the City goes to organized collection and a single hauler, one hauler said he isn’t big enough to do this. A couple of the other haulers said they weren’t real confident about outbidding Waste Management and BFI but they would bid. Council member Kuettel asked if there is a table indicating prices the haulers charge now and, if so, how do those prices compare with cities nearby that have organized collection? Council member Lamb said the haulers who operate in Falcon Heights gave the Solid Waste Commission a lot of data but requested that it not be published because they don’t want to share that information with their competitors. The best data he has seen is from North Saint Paul. It demonstrates that the rates their residents pay now are substantially cheaper than what they were paying before organized collection. Council member Talbot commented that we know that with all of the sweetheart deals going on between the haulers and residents, if you call up your trash hauler and tell him you are going to leave, he will turn around and offer you a bigger bin, lock you into 20% less, and offer you half a year of free hauling. Council member Lamb said that an unidentified wag made the comment that we ought to keep this hearing going on forever because the citizens of Falcon Heights have never gotten better service than they are getting right now because of the City’s focus on this issue. Council member Kuettel asked if the Solid Waste Commission has considered a test site. We know that the people in Northome have alleys and they paid for their alleys in a different way than we pay for streets. So, some of us with streets are not as concerned about the truck traffic as those with alleys. Council member Lamb said the answer to that is maybe. His impression is that the people who have alleys have a higher concern about the volume of trucks running up and down their alleys than people who have streets. Residents south of Larpenteur have a higher level of dissatisfaction about the number of haulers than the residents north of Larpenteur. One of the possibilities, when you think about zones, would tend to address some of the concerns because the nature of the City is different south of Larpenteur than it is north of Larpenteur. Council member Kuettel said that what she would like to throw out for the Solid Waste Commission to look at is if there is a specific area in the City that is really concerned. The majority of the people who have called her and who are in favor of organized collection generally live south of Larpenteur. FALCON HEIGHTS CITY COUNCIL MINUTES -11- June 23, 2004 Interim report from the Solid Waste Commission on organized collection (continued) Council member Kuettel said she would like to see the Commission look at doing a test of Northome or Northome and Hollywood Court. She asked if a three year contract is standard. Council member Lamb said that three years is a placeholder and one of the terms you negotiate. Whether three, five or seven years are optimal, no one knows until you actually get to the table to negotiate. Administrator Worthington said that with regard to a pilot test, Hollywood Court has a single hauler at this time. Neighborhoods can self organize under the statute. The City is prevented by statute from assisting in that process but can provide information to the residents. Council member Lamb said the State statute is very restrictive and requires the City to behave in a very narrow framework. Mayor Gehrz said that she wanted to clarify something Administrator Worthington said, that the City cannot assist a neighborhood that is looking on its own. The City of Burnsville provides an informational packet for residents and they encourage residents to choose a hauler in their neighborhood. As a result, more than a third of the city is organized voluntarily. The difference in assist is that the City cannot force a hauler to sit down and negotiate with residents but the City can provide information and materials. Administrator Worthington said the City can provide information but cannot instruct a neighborhood group, a specific block, or area that they must organize. The City can’t bring a hauler in to negotiate. She has heard of cities that have tried a more formalized City driven track and have gotten in trouble. Falcon Heights has been very careful to emphasize to residents that they need to organize themselves, but that the City can provide information for them. Council member Kuettel asked where the Solid Waste Commission is at with their goal regarding a waste management educational plan. Council member Lamb said that before you can really initiate an education plan, other than recycling, for which periodic educational things come out, you have to come to some conclusion on these issues. He doesn’t see anything coming forward on an education plan until this first period is pretty much done. The Solid Waste Commission has to be pretty sure about what it is educating people and what it is saying. Education has to be an ongoing thing. One of the goals of the Commission is to work with the haulers to develop and distribute materials through the billing process and all of the haulers have agreed to that. Trust but verify. There are a lot of statements being made and we need to verify those statements. The Commission very much believes, regardless of the ultimate result, that, as a society, we need to address how we are dealing with all of this stuff. Education will be a key part regardless of whatever else is done here. 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? FALCON HEIGHTS CITY COUNCIL MINUTES -13- June 23, 2004 Interim report from the Solid Waste Commission on organized collection (continued) Mayor Gehrz said the City Council isn’t mandated to make a decision by a certain time. The City Council can take as much time as it wants. There is some anxiety out there about this issue. The anxiety may be coming more from people who feel very strongly that what they have now is helping them manage and be able to stay in their homes. They are fearful of what might change. Whether or not a survey ought to be done is a Council decision. She asked for reactions to that. Council member Talbot said that surveys can be flawed because they are responded to by people who are biased, not by people who are affected. He urged people to go to their neighbors and talk this up. Take that information neighbor to neighbor. This is beneficial in a way that can’t be measured. Council member Lamb said the City Council commissioned the Commission. Common decency says to let them do their work. He doesn’t have any trouble at all suggesting to the Commission that they might want to consider a survey at some point. There is a process laid out here and the Council approved the process. Because people are getting upset or have something to say doesn’t mean that we abrogate the process at this point. The people on the Commission have done a lot of work. They are studying the issues. They are upfront. Their report says the pluses and minuses of what they see. The report says the things they are still in a quandary about and still have to study. To put out a survey now before the facts are in defeats the whole purpose of doing this study. Let them do the study. Let them come up with conclusions on the study. Then educate residents about their conclusions. Then it’s time for proper feedback, whether that is a survey or another public hearing. The Commission is still in the study process. The City Council is not up to as much speed as the Commission. Let the process go forward. For all we know, the Commission may say leave it all the same because we can resolve the majority of the issues. Mayor Gehrz said that no one is suggesting doing a survey at this point. Normally, in the process, the City Council takes action on recommendations in a fairly tight timeframe. She is recommending a longer timeframe on this issue. Mr. Randy Gustafson, 1775 St. Mary’s Street, asked for clarification of the process. Council member Lamb said that State statute mandates two, three-month periods. The first three months are for fact finding and educating. At the end of that period the facts come to light and there will be a recommendation from the Solid Waste Commission to the City Council. Then the second three month period begins and this time is used by the Commission and the haulers to negotiate a potential goal for presentation to the City Council. City Council approval cannot take place less than 90 days after the second time increment begins. Mr. Gustafson suggested that the City Council, upon receiving recommendations from the Solid Waste Commission at the conclusion of Period I, establish a time period during which it receives recommendations and input from the public. FALCON HEIGHTS CITY COUNCIL MINUTES -14- June 23, 2004 Interim report from the Solid Waste Commission on organized collection (continued) Mayor Gehrz asked if there is anything in State statute that prevents having a gap of time between the periods. Administrator Worthington said no, there are two consecutive 90-day processes but they are minimums, not maximums. The 180 days is a standard, not a maximum. She gave a brief review of the State statute. Council member Talbot said the City held twenty-one community meetings regarding the SE Corner but there were people who came forward in the eleventh hour saying they didn’t know anything about it. He suggested having the trash haulers compose the invitations to the upcoming meetings about refuse collection. REPORTS FROM COUNCIL MEMBERS: Council member Lindstrom said that at the Planning Commission meeting, TIES requested an Interim Use Permit for storage in garages that they have. They want to sell storage space for boats and snowmobiles. The Planning Commission recommended that the IUP not be approved by the City Council. This item will be on the August 11, 2004 Council agenda. INFORMATION AND ANNOUNCEMENTS: Council member Talbot said that all of the complaints about the Minnesota Street Rod Association event will be given serious consideration during the coming weeks. The Council will be discussing these concerns and looking for ways to improve upon the defects associated with this event. At the same time, the Council will be willing to look at ways to amplify its strength. He reminded the viewing audience that if they were adversely affected by this event or if they were positively pleased with it, call City Hall or your elected representatives. He said he loves the State Fair, but there were some things about the recent MSRA event that were objectionable. He did not enjoy hearing the squealing tires. Mayor Gehrz said the City Council will be having a workshop some time in the fall at which the Council will be talking about the MSRA and the State Fair. It is important for residents to weigh in via e-mail or by phone call. Public safety is the number one concern. Council member Lindstrom said that at the Planning Commission meeting, there were six to eight residents in attendance from Hollywood Court. When he talked about the no parking signs everyone on Hollywood Court applauded. There were good things that happened. Council member Kuettel said the members of the Solid Waste Commission have worked tirelessly. They are volunteers and are doing something that is important to them. She said the Commission is really working hard and she wants to thank them: Jeff Alexander, Michael Barany, Susan Harding, James Kielsmeier, Barbara Leary, Frank Meah, Lois Millett and Bob Lamb, Council Liaison. FALCON HEIGHTS CITY COUNCIL MINUTES -15 June 23, 2004 INFORMATION AND ANNOUNCEMENTS (continued) Council member Lamb said that as the Council looks toward 2005, one of the goals is that almost every transaction that a resident can carry on with the City can be done electronically. The City would like to collect e-mail addresses from those residents who want to share them. The City guarantees that they will not be shared with anyone and will only be used for communication between the City and the residents. The more people who sign up, the more effective the City will be. This will also help cut costs. He encouraged everyone to send in their e-mail address so the City can build a better communication system with its residents. Administrator Worthington gave the City’s e-mail address: ci.falcon-heights.mn.us. She said the City will save a great deal of money and will be able to communicate effectively with the community. She also described the City’s web site and encouraged residents to utilize that resource tool also. Mayor Gehrz thanked the businesses in the City that are licensed to sell tobacco products for their diligence. Compliance checks were recently done and there was 100% compliance. She said there is a one bedroom model open in the senior building under construction at the SE Corner. The model will be open Monday-Friday from 4-7 PM, and Saturday-Sunday from 2:30-4:30 PM. She said the Ramsey County Board of Commissioners, at their meeting on June 22, 2004, voted to go ahead with looking at a site for the 800 MHz dispatch system that would accommodate all four sites. Commissioner Rettman raised a concern about authorizing negotiations without setting parameters. The resolution they approved authorizes the County Manager to begin negotiations with Saint Paul, White Bear Lake and Maplewood. Falcon Heights was the only municipality that acted in support of a single site, with the parameters set by the City Council that costs be allocated according to call volume, a shared governance model and creation/maintenance of a standard for service. Falcon Heights’ recommendation was voted down by the County Commissioners because they felt it was a little too specific. It did generate discussion about cost allocation. She thinks it was worth doing. The regular City Council meeting was adjourned at 9:00 PM. Respectfully submitted, Mary Shea Kodluboy Deputy Clerk