MEETING MINUTES

August 17, 1999
7:00 p.m.
City Council Chambers

Pursuant to Government Code Section '54952.2, the City Council Agenda for August 17, 1999 was posted on the door of the City Council Chambers, Third and AH@ Streets on August 13, 1999.

Council Member Soliz arrived at 7:08 P.M.

1. DISCUSSION ON YARD WASTE COLLECTION PROGRAM

Assistant City Engineer, Ron Bernal, presented the staff report dated August 11, 1999.

Mike Crosetti, Municipal Business Manager for Pleasant Hill Bayshore Disposal, presented the cost breakdown for the proposed green waste program.

In response to Council Member Freitas' question regarding the total amount of money designated annually for public outreach, Mr. Crosetti stated $40K was the amount currently allocated, whether or not it would all be used would depend on the current need. City Manager Ramsey stated he felt there would need to be a monumental effort extended to put this program on line within the first year if the City had any hope of reaching its State-mandated diversion goal.

City Manager Ramsey responded to questions from Council Member Soliz stating it would take at least three to four months for the green waste program to be functional. He further added the City would be doing well if after one year of operation it could reach a diversion rate of 30% to 35%, which would still be well below the State requirement of 50%, and he was not optimistic the City would reach 50% after as much as 18 months to two years in the program.

At the request of Council Member Sudario, Mr. Crosetti agreed to look into the possibility of composting some of the green waste at a facility located on Bailey Road. Ms. Sudario also questioned whether or not the City had land available to start a for-profit composting business. City Manager Ramsey stated while neither he nor anyone else could guarantee that adoption of this green waste program would meet the City's diversion requirement, it was imperative the City start a green waste program of some type, as the 50% diversion rate compliance date was fast approaching. Council Member Sudario stated she would like to see the rate for the 96-gallon can with a once a month pick up.

Assistant City Engineer, Ron Bernal, stated the City of Antioch has not had nor does it currently have adequate staffing to implement an effective diversion plan. Staff recommended a $.25 month charge to staff a person to handle the City's diversion plan. In answer to Council Member Sudario's question, Assistant Engineer Jack Hall stated the cities of San Ramon, Pittsburg, Brentwood, and Martinez each had full-time coordinators working on similar diversion programs.

In discussing the exemptions allowed by the City to certain qualified individuals, it was recommended staff be much more rigorous in determining whether or not an exemption was warranted, and then only on a case by case basis.

City Manager Ramsey agreed with Council Member Freitas' suggestion that the additional money gained from the franchise fee could be used to hire the additional staff person needed to manage the program. Council Member Freitas then affirmed with Mr. Crosetti the containers would be properly labeled for trash, recycling, and green waste. In questioning the criteria for exemptions, Susan Hurl of Pleasant Hill Bay Shore stated by comparison the criteria for an exemption in Clayton was extremely stringent.

Council Member Sudario stated she would like to see the exemptions remain as they were, based on age, income, etc. She further stated this item should be placed on a regular agenda to allow public participation.

In response to staff's request for guidance on this issue, Council Member Freitas offered the following suggestions: the inclusion of a green waste diversion program was a necessity given the City's current diversion rate, to avoid administrative penalty costs; embrace a weekly green waste program as outlined in the proposal, with 500 exemptions and 1,075 senior discounts under the discount criteria discussed; the dark green 96-gallon containers, be clearly labeled as "green waste only"; include the mobile home exemptions, however, more information is needed regarding condominiums and townhouses; staff should look into the City of Clayton's exemption criteria as a model for Antioch; look into the cost of a once-a-month program, although he was in favor of the weekly program; the $.25 per resident fee not be charged for the first 2-3 years of the program to fund staff, but rather use the franchise fees to pay for the additional staff needed to run the program; he felt the outreach money for this program was too low and needed to be higher if an effective program was to be implemented; requested staff look at the possibility of fronting the money initially, and decreasing that amount after year 3, 4, or 5 years as the program was refined.

Mayor Rocha felt twice a month would be preferable over a weekly pickup, although this should be discussed further. She suggested starting with a twice a month pickup and then move to a weekly pickup, if it is deemed necessary. In response to this, City Manager Ramsey stated there was not a magical number of pickups perfect for everyone. The number of pickups needed was determined by the time of year, and therefore, it is more practical to have the larger cans year round with weekly pickup. Council Member Sudario stated again she would like to hear from the public before decisions are made regarding this item, and stated this should be an agendized item.

None

With no further comments the meeting was adjourned at 8:30 P.M. to the meeting of August 24, 1999.

Respectfully Submitted:

L. JOLENE MARTIN, City Clerk