HomeMy WebLinkAbout03/07/2000 Adjourned Meeting 284
CITY OF YAKIMA, WASHINGTON
March 7, 2000
ADJOURNED MEETING
The City Council met in session on this date at .7:30 a.m., in the
2nd Floor Training Room, at the Police Station /Legal Center, 200
South 3rd Street, Yakima, Washington. Mayor Mary Place,
presiding, Council Members Clarence Barnett, Henry Beauchamp,
Lynn Buchanan, Larry Mattson, John Puccinelli and Bernard Sims
were present. Dick Zais, ,City Manager; Glenn Rice, Assistant
City Manager; Marketa George Oliver, Administrative Assistant to
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the City Manager; Larry Peterson, Assistant City Attorney; Chris
Waarvick, Director of Public Works; and Nancy Gaudette, Refuse &
Recycling Manager were also present.
1. REVIEW OF DEFERRED REFUSE DIVISION 2000 BUDGET POLICY ISSUES
Nancy Gaudette distributed a memorandum regarding Refuse
statistics.
Chris Waarvick opened the meeting providing background to the
policy issues under discussion. The ability to accommodate 400
new accounts in 2000 with existing staff and equipment was
discussed and was determined to be possible. Mrs. Gaudette
provided a historical comparison of staff and equipment. Council
Member Barnett asked why the carry -out service has diminished.
Mrs. Gaudette explained that customers have discontinued the
service because it is a substantially higher cost.
The subject of recycling was discussed. Scott Robertson of
Yakima Waste Systems (YWS) said that since there is no
residential recycling program, people are bringing their
recyclables to work to be commercially recycled. He said in 1997
12 million pounds of waste were recycled and 15 million pounds in
1998.
Mr. Waarvick discussed the options included in the staff report.
Option 1 is to purchase an additional refuse collection vehicle
and increase hours for part -time employees to cover additional
services. Option 2 is to develop new policies to contract out
service to newly- annexed areas. Option 3 is to develop new
policies to limit the City Refuse Division residential service to
all but certain recently- annexed portions of the City and leave
incorporated territory outside the areas served by the City to be
regulated by the Washington Utility Transportation Commission.
Option 4 is to re- examine and study the Automated, Single
Operator Collection System for future service delivery.
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MARCH 7, 2000 ADJOURNED MEETING
Mayor Place asked if there was a way to clean up areas where
there may be only a few City customers, such as in her area.
Council Member Buchanan asked about the map included in the
information and about City boundaries. Mrs. Gaudette explained
that everything shown in white is in the City limits, but that
does not necessarily mean that the City is serving that area.
Mayor Place asked if the City would be able to handle the
Mead /Nob Hill area with existing City staff. Mrs. Gaudette
responded that it was possible.
Council Member Puccinelli clarified that in 2001, the City would
need additional personnel. Mrs. Gaudette responded that they
would not need additional people but would increase to full, time
the two people are who are currently at 50% time. Council Member
Beauchamp asked what is the normal number of accounts per day for
a regular route. Mrs. Gaudette said for 1999 the average was
between 433 and 516. Mr. Beauchamp asked if the Mead /Nob Hill -
area, being more spread out, would be considered a standard
route. Mr. Waarvick said that the road layout in that area
appears to be amenable to refuse pick up. He could think of no
logistical challenge to make this route different from the
others.
Council Member Puccinelli asked what damage the trucks would do
to unpaved streets and alleys during the winter. Mr. Waarvick
responded it would be similar to Yakima Waste Systems' trucks
going down unpaved streets and alleys; that often the trucks do
damage to unpaved streets or alleys. The Street Department works
in the summer to repair the worst alleys and streets.
Council Member Barnett said in the year 2000, the City can handle
the additional accounts with current staffing, but in 2001 the
City could not. Mr. Waarvick and. Mrs. Gaudette said yes and that
staff was looking for Council guidance.
Council Member Barnett said he thought the Council should be
looking at Option 2, contracting out, or Option 3, where the WUTC
would make a determination. Assistant City Attorney Peterson,
said if the City decided not to serve newly- annexed areas, there
would need to be some revisions made to the annexation ordinance.
Council Member Sims asked if the City could contract out. Mr.
Peterson said yes, but the City would need to do it by a public
bid. Council Member Sims asked if this was subject to voting
requirements contained in Initiative 695. Mr. Peterson said it
was unclear until the Supreme Court rules on I -695. Council
Member Sims said he is in favor of contracting out until the City
annexes enough to create new routes. He then asked about future
annexations.
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MARCH 7, 2000 ADJOURNED MEETING
Mrs. Gaudette said in 2002 there are few to no annexed areas to
be served. Mayor Place emphasized that 2001 is the problem.
Council Member Puccinelli asked how much revenue would be
generated by the additional accounts versus what the expenses
would be. Mr. Waarvick said revenues would be approximately
$30,000 minus tipping fees. He reiterated that staff thinks the
additional 400 accounts can be accommodated into the existing
route structure. Council Member Beauchamp said the goal of the
last restructuring effort was to balance the routes. Mrs.
Gaudette said that the last truck and crew which were added have
not yet met their capacity.
In reply to the question as to whether part -time employees
receive benefits, Mrs. Gaudette said permanent part -time
personnel do. Council Member Puccinelli asked again if the
revenue would be enough to cover expenses and asked how much
equipment would cost. Mr. Waarvick said refuse vehicles were
roughly $190,000 each. He said 400 customers generating $30,000
does not seem like a great deal of money, however, the 5 -7 year
gap between annexation and service provision enables the City to
build some capital reserve.
Council Member Puccinelli asked how many accounts would be added •
in the next two to three years. Mrs. Gaudette responded that in
2002 there would be 79; none in 2003; 315 in 2004 and 350 in
2005. Council Member Puccinelli asked if it was possible to
contract out refuse collection services until the City picks up
everything in 2005. Mr. Peterson said yes, especially if the
contract is written with that plan as part of its terms.
Council Member Buchanan asked how many trucks the City is
planning to replace between now and 2005. Mrs. Gaudette said one
is scheduled for replacement this year. She said the new truck
can be used by a single operator for bins; it can be used for
yard waste; and it can be used for manual collection with two
people. The point was to ensure its versatility. Mayor Place
asked if it would pick up residential bins. Mrs. Gaudette
answered that it would. Mayor Place asked if the City was
looking at trucks that one person could operate. Mrs. Gaudette
responded that staff was not looking at trucks that were
exclusively automated, unless the policy decision by the Council
is changed.
Council then discussed the issue of automated refuse. Council
Member Puccinelli asked if it was fast enough for one person to
do a route that two people do currently. Mrs. Gaudette said yes
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MARCH 7, 2000 ADJOURNED MEETING
and talked about the pilot yard waste program. The containers
being used for the pilot program can be used for automated pick
up.
Council Member Mattson asked if automated means that the operator
never needs to get out of the truck. Mr. Waarvick said
theoretically yes. Council Member Buchanan said people in Yakima
want their own garbage cans. He suggested that the Council
repeat the public ,hearing held several years ago on the issue.
Mrs. Gaudette said automated refuse collection is,more efficient.
Not only are there fewer people to pay, but there is also savings
generated from fewer industrial accidents. Council Member
Beauchamp stated once the City conducts a pilot program, the
Council would have some fresh information.
Mr. Waarvick summarized his interpretation of Council direction
on this issue as Council being amenable to assuming the area
south of Nob Hill /Mead and accommodating those 400 accounts into
the current .route structure. Next, staff should create a
framework to contract out service until such time as the City has
annexed enough areas to generate the revenue needed to cover the
expense's of adding new equipment and personnel. Council agreed
that this was an accurate summation.
Mayor Place asked how the ergonomics issue impacts automated
refuse. Mr. Waarvick and Mrs. Gaudette indicated that those
rules are not yet final and it is unclear how that would be
affected.
Mayor Place asked what the tipping fees are and if the County
plans to put those on the ballot in November. Scott Robertson of
Yakima Waste. Systems said there's been discussion about that, but
they are not sure yet. Mayor Place asked if the County tipping
fees were put on the ballot, would the City also need to put it
on their ballot? Mr. Zais said that was tied up with the
lawsuit.
Scott Robertson introduced Steve Wheatley and Tony Sigali.
Mr. Sigali's family owns Yakima Waste Systems. Mr. Robertson
said the combination of services provided by Yakima Waste Systems
and, City Refuse serves the citizens well. In round numbers,
Yakima Waste Systems has lost 3,000 accounts to the City of
I/ Yakima within the last ten years. He asked Council to consider
curbing growth of the Refuse Division and using contracts and
franchises. He said the City utility tax applies on the date of
the annexation and Yakima Waste Systems has been vigilant in
reporting those dollars.
Council Member Sims said if the City contracts out, he does not
want the rates raised to the existing City rates if the private
rates are lower. Mayor Place agreed.
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MARCH 7, 2000 ADJOURNED MEETING
Mayor Place asked about leaf pick up and if people in the City
would receive that service if they continue to be customers of
Yakima Waste Systems. Mrs. Gaudette said yes and explained that
the leaf pick up program is funded by Streets.
Tom Barrington, AFSCME Union Representative, said Refuse Helpers
work very hard. He said that certainly efficiencies can be made,
but if the accounts grow, the City should be the ones providing
the service and benefiting from the revenue from it.
Council Member Mattson asked when will the results from an
automated pilot program start coming in. Mrs. Gaudette said she
is working on the project and the containers should go out this
month, bringing preliminary results within three months. She
will update Council on this periodically.
Council Member Sims said he was concerned that the Fire
Department was not planning to teach first aid to other City
personnel because of budget cuts. Mr. Waarvick said the Fire
Department is teaching a very advanced First Aid that is not •
technically practical to many staff' members and a reasonable
level of training for a reasonable number of people should be
decided upon. Council Member Sims felt the City should not have
to pay an outsider to teach first aid when the Fire Department
could do it.
Council Member Sims then said he would like to discuss the letter
the Council had received from Fred Porter, regarding the
Millennium Plaza. Mr. Zais indicated that because the City has
been threatened with litigation, the issue would be discussed in
Executive Session.
Council Member Sims asked if Council had received anything from
the Irrigation Committee. Mr. Zais said there was a letter in the
Council information packet.
Mayor Place said she has been working with other cities to put
some resolutions together and would like Council's support for
her to be on the Resolution Committee for the Association of
Washington Cities. Other Council members indicated their support
for Mayor Place's participation on that committee.
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MARCH 7, 2000 ADJOURNED MEETING
The meeting adjourned at 8:45 a.m. to the March 7th, 2000 Council
meeting, at 2:00 p.m. in City Hall and afterwards to the March 21,
2000 7:30 a.m. Council Study Session in the Second Floor Conference
• room of the Police Station /Legal Center regarding the EPA mandated
• i pretreatment program. if
READ AND CERTIFIED ACCURATE BY: � � �,
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COUNCIL MEMBER DATE
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City Clerk Mary Place, Mayor
Minutes prepared by Marketa George Oliver. An audio of this meeting are available in
the City Clerk's Office
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