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HomeMy WebLinkAbout05/12/1992 Adjourned Meeting 269 CITY OF YAKIMA, WASHINGTON MAY 12, 1992. ADJOURNED MEETING The City Council met in session on this date at 7:10 A.M. at the Yakima Center Board Room for informal discussion. Mayor Pat Berndt presiding, Councilmembers Clarence Barnett, Lynn Buchanan (absent after 8:14 A.M.) Skip Semon, and Bernard Sims (absent after 8:50 A.M.) present. Councilmembers Henry Beauchamp and Bill Brado absent and excused. Staff members present were City Manager Zais, Administrative Assistant to the City Manager Oliver, Public Works Director Copeland (absent after 8:40 A.M.), Refuse /Recycling Manager Gaudette (present after 7:20 A.M.) and Clerk Harris. Mayor Berndt remarked that this time of the year is extremely busy for greetings, welcomes, and various duties requesting the Mayor's presence. She said it is impossible for her to attend all of these functions and asked for someone to volunteer to help. She commented that these are fun type functions which do not require advance preparations; just being present. She asked the Council to inform Debbie Moore if they are able to help. Ms. Oliver asked the Council to review the memo concerning the in -kind contributions for the Agriculture Showcase. It was the consensus of the Council that the County should contribute at least equivalent to the City's in -kind contribution. The possibility of Transit service to and from the Showcase was discussed. Ms. Oliver asked for Council direction concerning the printing for the brochures and flyers for the Showcase. It was the consensus of the Council to check with the County to see what their contributions are before they commit to anything definite. Nancy Gaudette discussed the refuse survey results. She said out of 13,051 surveys mailed, 34% responded. The significance of the results was the amount of money and time people are willing to contribute toward the recycling program. 77% of respondents agreed they would be willing to recycle, 55% agree the program should be mandatory, 34.6% prefer drop -off, 36.3% prefer curbside. Councilmember Buchanan commented that there I/ are a lot of recyclable materials which are sitting in warehouses now, unable or not cost efficient enough, to be sold. The recycling consultants, Charlie Scott and Marc Doudon of Matrix Management, believe these materials will be in demand in the future, particularly newsprint. Councilmember Semon was concerned that as the mandatory recycling is put into effect, there will be an overabundance of material with no market. The consultants believe that once the market stabilizes, because of the mandatory recycling, it will be to the manufacturers's advantage to use the recyclable materials. The possibilities of using recycled glass as a 270 cover for landfill areas and of recycling wood were discussed. The feasibility of putting the recycling pick -up service out for bids was also discussed. Returning to the subject of the refuse survey, Mrs. Gaudette said almost 80% of the respondents agreed the public needs to be educated on recycling. More than 50% disagreed with I/ legislation exempting Yakima from mandatory recycling. In answer to Mayor Berndt's question, Mrs. Gaudette replied she felt the comments made on the surveys were thoughtful and mostly concerned with the cost of the program. Charlie Scott of Matrix Management reviewed the requirements and recommendations. He referred to the Waste Not Washington Act. As a result of the Act, a 50% recycling goal for 1995 was adopted, however, it is not required that every city meet that goal. Mayor Berndt remarked that Jim Whiteside, Yakima County's Solid Waste Committee Chairman, was pleased that the City has been working on this issue and has some answers ready. The letter of recommendation sent to the County concerning recycling in the urban area and Selah, was reviewed. The recommendations included waste reduction, public education, and yard waste reduction, all of which incorporated the consultant's recommendations. Councilmember Barnett's concern was for the high estimated cost of curbside pickup; if curbside will be required in the future, the City may as well do it from the beginning. The explanation from Jim Dick of the Department of Ecology (DOE), was that as long as the City is fulfilling it's requirements, and actually working on recycling, it is not absolutely mandatory. However, the Legislators do prefer curbside service. It adds to the complications that it will be the County's plan that is actually approved, not the City's. There are revisions made by DOE every five years. The Columbia Asphalt proposed conclusions and restrictions were briefly discussed. City Manager Zais informed the Council if they needed any further information, they should contact Ray Paolella of the City's legal department. Mr. Zais and Mr. Semon discussed the Public Transportation Benefit Area issue. An extension of six month's lag time was suggested at a former meeting with the County. A three year transition agreement was discussed. A concession that has been made was for the City to drop from five members, on a nine member board, to three members. The City would be 2 271 MAY,. ,. 19 9 2 ;,;:-; 3. protected by a veto provision, whereby three negative votes by any members of the PTBA Board, constitutes a veto. I/ Councilmember Sims absent after 8:50 A.M., leaving the Council without a quorum; therefore, the meeting was adjourned. /' READ AND CERTIFIED ACCURATE BY: �j� �� z; Y� l v NC` EMBER DATE /i z1 e,t‘r C•.'t?� �E/nE'. /, DAT ATTEST: 61}u21A-f C;):saL CITY CLERK MAYOR Minutes prepared by Clerk Harris 3