10-09-08 Planning Comm. Agenda - Laserfiche WebLink

Home Browse Search

roughly dispose of 20-30 vehicles per year. City staff requested documentation showing the auto salvage use has continuously occurred on the property. R&S pointed out they currently have four to five vehicles on the property for salvage. During my previous inspection these vehicles were not identified as salvage vehicles, in fact one vehicle was full of boxes and was being used as a storage container. R&S said all those papers were shredded and now the car would be filled with scrap metal. City staff met with R&S on at least three more occasions and sent two more letters requesting documentation of salvage operations occurring from the property. No information was submitted until August 2008. R&S dropped off scale tickets from Metals Reduction Company (a.k.a Mississippi Metro) showing scrap metal tonnages R&S had disposed of The reports are dated September 2007 and Apri12008. R&S requested city staff contact the company to confirm the salvage operations. Joel Hanson contacted Chris fiom Metals Reduction Co. and he indicted that R&S does bring scrap metal in and occasionally a car for disposal. Chris reviewed the attached scale tickets with Joel and confirmed that the last car brought in by R&S was in 2007. Other disposals were of miscellaneous scrap metals and a car disposal would be noted as such. Chris also said that due to the computerization of their records, he is not able to get back very far in the past to search for disposal tickets other then what he provided to R&S. Joel Hanson and I went to meet with Mr. Sandberg on September 26, 2008 to once again discuss the city's position that auto salvage is not occurring from the property. During this meeting, Mr. Sandberg showed us one vehicle they had on site for salvaging. This vehicle was currently licensed, but inoperable and the truck bed was full of scarp metal. The City's definition of auto salvage/wrecking/junk yard indicates there must be two or more vehicles. Mr. Sandberg indicated that R&S gets in customers cars that are in need of repair. Sometimes the repairs exceed the value of the car and owner decides to dispose of the vehicle. So R&S takes the vehicle for them and disposes of it. The vehicles are held onto until there is enough scrap metal stored inside to be brought to a state licensed scrap metal dealer. (R&S is not a State of Minnesota licensed scrap metal dealer.) Mr. Sandberg confirmed that they average about one car a month and no more than twenty cars a year. Again, based on the number of cars processed, their use would not meet the definition given the fact they are only processing one car at a time versus the code minimum of two. When Mr. Hanson informed Mr. Sandberg that Metals Reduction Co. told city staff no cars have been brought in for a year, Mr. Sandberg said that R&S does have other dealers they bring their scrap to. City staff once again requested documentation showing such use. Mr. Sandberg did confirm that R&S no longer has the crushing ability, they do not scavenger cars, and do not get customers coming to their location to buy parts. They only take in an inoperable vehicle, fill it with scrap metal, and take it to a dealer for disposal. Mr. Sandberg repeatedly commented that R&S does not want to go back into the salvage business, but will have to do so to make money if they cannot rent storage. Based on the past admissions of R&S that salvage is not occurring, their lack of proof supporting the claim they have continued salvage operations over the years, and that their current use does not meet the city's definitions of salvage/junk yard/wrecking, it is staffs position that the CUP for auto salvage has lapsed and the auto salvage license should not be issued.