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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMinutes - 10/03/2016 - Public Works Committee (2)PUBLIC WORKS COMMITTEE MEETING REPORT October 3, 2016 McHenry Municipal Center Council Chambers In Attendance: Committee Members: Chairman Alderman Schaefer, Alderman Wimmer and Alderman Glab. Absent: None. Also in Attendance: Director of Public Works Schmitt, Street Division Superintendent Scott Schweda, Administrative Assistant Nancy Lorch, and Deputy City Clerk Geraghty. Others present: Chris Alm, Tom Sundstrum, and Vaughn Kuerschner, representing Waste Management. 1. Call to Order: Chairman Schaefer called the meeting to order at 5:30 PM. 2. Public Input: None. 3. Motion to approve the June 20, 2016 Public Works Committee meeting report. Motion by Wimmer, second by Glab to approve the June 20, 2016 Public Works Committee meeting report as presented. Voting Aye: Voting Nay: Not Voting: Abstaining: Absent: Motion carried. Wimmer, Glab, Schaefer None None None None 4. Discussion on proposed amendments to the Honorary Street Sign Policy and direction to send amendments to the full City Council for consideration. Chairman Schaefer asked Director Schmitt to begin the discussion. Director Schmitt stated at the direction of the committee, Street Superintendent Schweda reviewed honorary street sign policies from other municipalities. Based on the committee's input at the June 20th meeting, staff presented the following possible amendments to the current policy: • Limit honorary street designation to 10-years with no eligibility for renewal. • Add language that no more than three honorary signs will be awarded per calendar year with no exceptions. • Revise the city's current policy of reviewing applications on a first come first basis and consider adding language that applications will be accepted January 1" through December 31st, of the current calendar year and all applications will be considered by the Public Works Committee during the first quarter of the following year with no more than three recommended to the full City Council. Discussion ensued on the proposed amendments. Alderman Glab stated he was in agreement with the revised process as proposed. Public Works Committee Meeting Report October 3, 2016 Page 2 Alderman Wimmer asked if December 31" would be the deadline date to submit applications for this year, assuming the policy would be amended prior to December 31Sc Since this year is almost over, Alderman Schaefer proposed the committee continue to accept applications up to the end of the first quarter 2017; and then proceed with closing the acceptance of applications at the end of each calendar year thereafter. He also suggested including the amended policy, if approved, in the upcoming city newsletter. Director Schmitt reminded the committee only one designation was available in 2017, as two designations for 2017 were previously approved. Alderman Schaefer asked Superintendent Schweda if he found stronger language regarding the criteria requirement in other policies and he answered no. Alderman Glab asked what is meant by "proof of significant lineage to the city," as required in the current policy under Criteria for Review Item #2, adding he interprets it to mean the designee must have a long family history in the city. A discussion ensued on the definition of lineage. Alderman Schaefer said clearly defining language throughout the policy would assist with decision -making. Chairman Schaefer asked if applications not considered in a given year would be held for consideration in the following year or would they be eliminated adding it may not be a bad idea to allow applicants a second chance. Director Schmitt answered applications would not be held over however they may reapply the following year. All members of the committee agreed to limit honorary street designations to 10-years with no eligibility for renewal. Alderman Schaefer noted this policy is used mostly for the benefit of individuals, and asked if the city has ever considered honoring groups and organizations as done in some other municipalities. Director Schmitt noted the current policy states the city provides citizens with an opportunity to honor people and/or family members; it is his opinion this includes groups and organizations. Alderman Glab expressed his opinion regarding designations for Veterans stating this is the purpose of Veterans Memorial Park. Director Schmitt summarized the direction of the Committee to present proposed amendments of the Honorary Street Sign Policy to the full City Council for consideration as follows: • Designations will be in effect for 10 years with no eligibility for renewal. • Current designations will expire 10 years after the date the amended policy is approved by the full City Council. • Based on approval of the amended policy this year, the city will accept applications submitted in 2016 until the end of March 2017, at which time all applications will be brought before the Committee for review. • Applications received April 1, through December 31, 2017, and each calendar year thereafter (Jan — Dec), will be presented to the Committee before the end of March the following year. • Clarify language in CRITERIA FOR REVIEW Item 2. Proof of significant lineage to the City. Public Works Committee Meeting Report October 3, 2016 Page 3 Alderman Glab made a motion, seconded by Alderman Wimmer to present the committee's recommendations as discussed for consideration by the full City Council. Voting Aye: Voting Nay: Not Voting: Abstaining: Absent: Motion carried. lab, Wimmer, Schaefer None None None None 5. Review proposal to extend contract with Waste Management for residential waste hauling services and direction to send proposal to the full City Council for consideration. Chairman Schaefer asked Director Schmitt to begin the discussion. Director Schmitt reported Waste Management has been under contract with the city to provide exclusive residential waste hauling services since August 1, 2012. The approved contract expires July 31, 2017, with an option to extend for an additional five-year term based on a future negotiated rate. The three options presented by Waste Management: A. Sticker Program Proposal B. All Cart Program with Yard Waste Sticker & Saturday Drop Off Service C. All Cart Program eliminating Yard Waste Sticker & Saturday Drop Off Service replaced with unlimited yard waste pickup at your door Services included in all three proposals: • Weekly refuse service including one -bulk item • White goods pickup for $50 per item, must be prescheduled • Free curbside leaf collection • Christmas tree collection for two weeks in January • Program brochure development and mailing to residents • "At Your Door" program offer for $1.25/home/month billed to residents; all residents must participate • Waste Watch program offer • 3% annual increase starting the second year of the five-year extension Director Schmitt said staff is of the opinion Option #C is the most attractive option and distributes the cost of the leaf collection and Christmas tree pickup more evenly to all residents. At this time Director Schmitt introduced the representatives from Waste Management present at the meeting: Chris Alm, Vaughn Kuerschner, and Tom Sandstrom who brought the proposed refuse carts to the meeting so the committee could see the different sizes offered in Option C: 96 gal., 64 gal., and 35 gal. (only available to residents 65 years and older). Public Works Committee Meeting Report October 3, 2016 Page 4 Director Schmitt informed the committee that Option C would provide residents enrolled in the current 96 gal. cart program who pay $29.84/month, a 33% decrease in their monthly bill; at the end of the five-year contract, that cost will be still be less at $22.57. Alderman Glab asked now Director Schmitt calculated the savings and he answered the calculation was based on the current rate for the large cart. Mr. Kuerschner from Waste Management added Option C with the 96 gal. cart provides households with unlimited refuse, which includes the cart and bags or containers with handles. The amount of refuse permitted utilizing the 64 gal. cart and the 35 gal. cart (available only to residents 65 years and older), is limited to the cart only. Director Schmitt stated Public Works receives requests from residents requesting larger recycling carts and during the first month of the extended contract, Waste Management is offering no exchange costs to upgrade from a 64 gal. recycling cart to a 96L gal. cart. After the first month there will be a $30 fee. Requests have also been received for a second cart, which Waste Management is offering for rent at an additional $3/month. Director Schmitt stated he is of the opinion that eliminating the Saturday waste drop off site in exchange for weekly curbside yard waste pickup would better serve residents. Alderman Glab expressed his concern about how the community would look with carts, and yard waste in front of all the houses. He said sometimes carats are placed in front of houses days before pickup and other homeowners fail to store them in areas not visible from the front of the house. He added that by eliminating the yard waste drop off people would dump yard waste in the front of their yards. Ms. Lorch commented yard waste would be in containers with the exception of branches that would be required to be bundled. Alderman Glab added every single week we would see all of this in front of houses; more than what is currently out there now. Director Schmitt agreed residents would use the yard waste option more often if it were at the curb however because it is used more, residents would do a better job at keeping their yard clean. Alderman Wimmer said he thinks using carts and curbside yard waste pickup makes sense. Alderman Glab asked how we would bill residents for the cart. Director Schmitt said residents would receive a bill from Waste Management. Alderman Glab asked if we would have to create an ordinance to force people to accept and pay for the cart. Mr. Kuerschner said accounts are setup using a resident list provided by the municipality. Director Schmitt asked Waste Management how they would enforce participation in the all cart program and how would they address someone who ignores their bill. Mr. Kuerschner said in any type of program like this all residents participate. Potentially you could have someone who does not pay their bill but they would not be able to dispose of their garbage. Alderman Glab said they could get rid of it at work, take it to a rental property, or dump it on the side of the road. Public Works Committee Meeting Report October 3, 2016 Page 5 Alderman Glab asked why anyone would want to pay $20.05 a month for a cart. Basically it's like using a sticker four times a month or $5 a sticker. He said he uses a sticker about every three weeks in a two person household. The condos in Whispering Oaks are occupied mostly by seniors in one or two person households and he rarely sees bags out each week. Mr. Alm noted seniors (age 65 and over) would now have an opportunity to dispose of their garbage every week. Alderman Glab noted it would cost him $18.44 more a month to use a cart and he is now spending $3.99 every three or four weeks. Director Schmitt asked Waste Management what the estimated cost for a sticker would be if the city did not alter its current program. Mr. Kuerschner said if the city selected Option A, there would be a monthly base fee of $5.95 billed quarterly plus the sticker cost of $3.70 per sticker. If Waste Management continued with the current program and just had a sticker, the estimated sticker cost would be $7.15 to cover the cost for all of the services. Alderman Glab suggested going out for RFP's and negotiating. Mr. Kuerschner added there are many benefits of going to the all -cart program. The wheeled cart is easier for the elderly to get to the curb; it's safer for residents and Waste Management drivers. He added the trend is going to cart service. Alderman Glab said he is against the proposed program because it is an astronomical increase for many residents who do not put trash out every week and do not have enough garbage to fill a tote each week. He does agree it would be beneficial to have garbage picked up each week, but the cost is significantly more and we do not have any comparisons of what other communities are paying. He also said forcing carts on the community would anger many. Alderman Schaefer said he has the same concern after speaking with residents, not just seniors who really don't see an issue with not getting rid of their trash each week. And, many of the people he spoke with also commented about the recent increase in water and sewer rates. Mr. Kuerschner said currently, approximately 3,300 people in McHenry are using a cart, which is close to 40%. Alderman Glab said he would estimate that is much lower in his neighborhood. Mr. Sundstrom added in Lakeland Park, Martin Woods, and Brittany Park, most residents use 96 gal. carts. Mr. Kuerschner further stated whenever a city changes a program there is some push -back. Sticker rates cover all the programs. As the sticker rate goes up fewer stickers are sold until the rate becomes significantly higher because Waste Management has to cover their costs for all the services they provide. Alderman Schaefer asked if there was any additional cost to Waste Management for people who only put garbage out once a month. Mr. Kuerschner said no there is not however when the original contract was quoted, it was based on the anticipation of a certain number of stickers that would be sold, which has not materialized. McHenry buys about 30% of what was projected in the RFP. Also, as the rate of the stickers increases Public Works Committee Meeting Report October 3, 2016 Page 6 each year, less people are buying them. Alderman Schaefer commented that we do not know if it is less people buying the stickers or fewer stickers sold. Alderman Glab asked staff if they ever considered making the yard waste drop off site accessible only after residents purchase a special permit. Director Schmitt answered all residents share the cost to maintain the drop off site when they purchase a sticker. Alderman Schaefer asked Waste Management if they have other communities who have a yard waste drop off and they answered no. Alderman Schaefer asked if other municipalities have a drop off that Waste Management picks up only once a month. Waste Management representatives stated it would not be a good idea to operate an unmanned drop off and it would be difficult to determine the cost for the service. Alderman Schaefer asked if the city covered the cost would they consider it and Mr. Sundstrom said anything was possible. Alderman Schaefer stated his concern remains forcing carts on all residents. He agrees it would be much cleaner and convenient however residents are concerned about the cost. Mr. Alm asked what if they came up with a proposal that stickers would remain available only for seniors at a reduce monthly rate. Alderman Glab asked how that would be monitored. Mr. Alm said the city would have to organize a method for residents to prove their age adding this is done in other communities. Alderman Schaefer noted the concerns he has heard are not just from seniors, but from one and two person households. Mr. Kuerschner said Waste Management is trying to move away from a sticker program. He further stated if the city decides to remain with a sticker program, to keep the cost down, there would need to be a monthly base rate fee in addition to the cost of the sticker as proposed in Option A. Alderman Schaefer asked Waste Management if the city approved Option A, would we continue to see stickers fade away to fewer than 20% usage or do they expect to see it staying flat at 3040%. Mr. Kuerschner said sticker sales would most likely continue to decline over time; by introducing the base rate we may be able to control it slightly. Director Schmitt clarified the monthly base rate in Option A is $5.95. Every resident not on a cart program would be billed that amount each month even if they do not buy a sticker. Director Schmitt asked for guidance on which Option the Committee would recommend to the full Council. Alderman Schaefer noted residents who leave for the winter would still have to pay the monthly base rate. It was also pointed out in Option A, the monthly cart fee would remain the same as it is today. Mr. Kuerschner said the cart cost savings is in the cart only programs, Option B and C. Alderman Glab told the Committee the cost for the all cart program, forcing residents to rent a cart, or charging a monthly base fee along with the cost of a sticker is unacceptable and he suggested going out for RFP's. Mr. Kuerschner said this service is the same as any other service the city provides and all residents have to share in the cost. Director Public Works Committee Meeting Report October 3, 2016 Page 7 Schmitt agreed noting the city charges a base rate along with use rate for water and sewer. Alderman Schaefer said he agrees the city needs to look into this more. Director Schmitt asked for direction. Alderman Glab suggested reviewing what other communities pay Waste Management for services. Alderman Schaefer said he would prefer to take the entire proposal to the full Council for discussion. Alderman Wimmer added Waste Management has to make money on this too; sometimes things have to change. Alderman Glab made a motion, seconded by Alderman Schaefer to direct staff to provide community service/cost comparisons and present the entire proposal to the full City Council for discussion with no recommendation from the Committee. Voting Aye: Voting Nay: Not Voting: Abstaining: Absent: Motion carried. Glab, Schaefer, Wimmer None None None None Representatives from Waste Management left the meeting at 6:40 PM 6. Adjournment There being no further business to discuss, motion by Wimmer, seconded by Glab to adjourn the meeting at 6:41 PM. Voting Aye: Wimmer, Glab, Schaefer Voting Nay: None Abstaining: None Absent: None Motion carried. Reviewed and Approved: