Agenda Packets - 2015/08/03 - Laserfiche WebLink

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Item No: 5 Meeting Date: August 3, 2015 Type of Business: Work Session City of Mounds View Staff Report To: Honorable Mayor and City Council From: James Ericson, City Administrator Item Title/Subject: Discuss Options Associated with Pursuing Organized Collection Introduction: At the May 4, 2015, Work Session, the City Council expressed support to staff to begin researching the steps necessary to pursue a system of organized collection in the City of Mounds View. The detailed process for migrating from an open system to an organized system is addressed in Minnesota Statutes Section 115A.94, included for your reference at the end of this report. Discussion: The Minnesota Legislature adopted significant changes to the organized collection statute in 2013 that were designed to simplify the process for adopting organized collection. While there are essentially five steps for migrating to a system of organized collection, cities that consider such a system utilize a variety of different tools, procedures and actions to reach their final decision. Cities may also engage in significant research, opinion surveying, open houses and listening sessions to help determine whether there is sufficient support to move to a system of organized collection. In addition, because of the complexities associated with contract negotiations, terms and conditions, many cities have found it necessary to engage an attorney or consultant (or both) to assist with the process. Naturally, there are costs for the additional prep work and outside assistance which, depending upon the direction of the Council, may need to be factored into the 2016 Budget. The formal steps for migrating to an organized collection system are as follows: 1. Notice to public and to licensed collectors 2. 60-day negotiation period with licensed collectors 3. Organized collection options committee 4. Public notice and public hearing 5. Implementation. There are many sub-steps and actions required for each of the above steps (for a more detailed summary, refer to the attachment following this report). While the above five steps may seem fairly straightforward, the Council may want to gauge the level of community support for such an endeavor before formally initiating the process, and it will need to establish some priorities and talking points which would be referenced during the negotiation period. If, as a result of the negotiation period, a suitable agreement is not reached, the City would then create the organized collection options committee (OCOC) so there should be some thought as to the possible composition of such a group.