09-12 Work Session CITY COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES
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'72 1.1 Richfield, Minnesota
_/ Ile<,,t,,E,I{om `m% Special City Council Work Session
September 12, 2017
CALL TO ORDER
The work session was called to order by Mayor Elliott at 5:15 p.m. in the Municipal Center.
Council Members Pat Elliott, Mayor; Edwina Garcia; Michael Howard; Maria Regan Gonzalez;
Present: and Simon Trautmann
Staff Present: Steven L. Devich, City Manager; Pam Dmytrenko, Assistant City Manager/HR
Manager; Jim Topitzhofer, Recreation Services Director; Kristen Asher, Public
Works Director; Jack Broz, Transportation Engineer; Karen Shragg, Nature
Center Manager; Amy Markle, Naturalist; and, Jared Voto, Executive
Aide/Analyst.
Item #1 ORGANICS COLLECTION AND ORGANIZED GARBAGE HAULING
Recreation Services Director Topitzhofer introduced Jennifer Nguyen Moore, Project
Coordinator from the City of Bloomington. Ms. Nguyen Moore presented Bloomington's
implementation of organizing garbage hauling including: historical timeline; the city's priorities for
organized collection; contract details; program summary; services offered; pricing; implementation
process; communications; enforcement; challenges of the first year of implementation; and
recommendations.
Council Members asked questions of Ms. Nguyen Moore regarding liquidated damages, the
contract, Bloomington's staffing and reimbursement for administrative costs, how current services
compare to previous services offered, insurance the Bloomington holds, and the "door-step" collection
option.
Recreation Services Director Topitzhofer asked Council if they had any general comments.
Council Members seemed to agree that the city was heading in this direction and to start the process.
Recreation Services Director Topitzhofer introduced the topic of organics recycling. Nature
Center Manager Karen Shragg showed items that could be recycled with organics collection, such as
pizza boxes.
Ben Knudson, recycling specialist from Hennepin County, discussed the County's waste sort
study that found the most common material in trash was food waste, with compostable paper the third
most found item; both of which can be recycled by industrial composting. Mr. Knudson also discussed
what is industrial composting, what the compost could be used for, the benefits of composting, other
cities that offer organics collection, and that Hennepin County is shifting funds to encourage organics
recycling.
Recreation Services Director Topitzhofer discussed five options for organics collection, and
went into pros and cons of each: require all haulers to offer organic collection by ordinance; develop a
Special Council Work Session Minutes -2- September 12,2017
pilot program with the County to offer all haulers an incentive to offer organics collection; establish an
organics drop off site(s); organize hauling and require organics collection by contract; and, do nothing.
Mr. Topitzhofer asked the Council Members for their feedback.
Council Members all were in favor of organics recycling, and were generally in favor of
establishing drop off site(s) to begin and move toward organized hauling with a requirement for
organics collection. Mayor Elliott also suggested looking into the pilot program with the County as an
intermediary step to get residents used to organics recycling.
Item #2 69TH STREET PILOT PROJECT INTERIM DESIGN
Public Works Director Asher introduced the topic. This is about direction for an interim design
for the next 5 to 10 years, since the project is not currently programmed.
Council Member Howard asked for clarification from Ted Weidenbach, Chair of the
Transportation Commission, as to their understanding of what the City Council approved on August 8.
Transportation Commission Chair Weidenbach responded that it was the understanding of the
Transportation Commission that the City Council approved the Commission's recommendation of the
modified pilot project. Council Member Howard agreed that was what he thought was approved on
August 8 and that if Council chose to go with option "B" with the buffered shoulders it would need
further Council action and spoke in favor of the Transportation Commission's recommendation.
Council Members and staff discussed what was meant by the pilot project, interim design, and
the vote that was taken on August 8.
Council Member Garcia asked about the Transportation Commission has been working on this
for a number of months. Transportation Commission Chair Weidenbach discussed the work the
Commission has done on this project.
Council Member Howard asked about a change to the lane size to give additional space on
the south side of the street, and if that would work with maintenance of the street. Public Works
Director Asher stated it is shifted to allow four and a half feet on the south side, lane widths of 11 feet,
and nine and a half foot delineated path. Maintenance is fine with this change.
Mayor Elliott asked Public Works Director Asher if maintenance was an issue and if the project
is confusing to drivers. Public Works Director Asher stated she's received the same comments and
feedback the Mayor has received regarding the confusion.
Council Member Trautmann discussed concerns from residents in the area with the pilot
project and after walking the area of 69th and 70th Street to get a feel of the area, he agrees with the
Transportation Commission's recommendation.
Council Member Regan Gonzalez stated she agreed with the vote from August 8, of approving
the recommendation from the Transportation Commission.
ADJOURNMENT
The work session was adjourned by unanimous consent at 7:00 p.m.
Special Council Work Session Minutes -3- September 12,2017
Date Approved: September 26, 2017
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Executive Aide/Analyst City Manager