2012 04 12 WS MinutesMINUTES OF THE REGULAR WORK SESSION OF THE
CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF BAYTOWN
April 12, 2012
The City Council of the City of Baytown, Texas met in a Regular Work Session
on Thursday, April 12, 2012, at 5:01 P.M., in the Council Chamber of the Baytown City
Hall, 2401 Market Street, Baytown, Texas with the following in attendance:
Brandon Capetillo
Council Member
Robert Hoskins
Council Member
David McCartney
Council Member
Terry Sain
Council Member
Scott Sheley
Council Member
Stephen DonCarlos Mayor
Robert D. Leiper
Ron Bottoms
Kevin Troller
Ignacio Ramirez
Leticia Brysch
Keith Dougherty
City Manager
Deputy City Manager
Assistant City Manager
City Attorney
City Clerk
Sergeant at Arms
Mayor DonCarlos convened the April 12, 2012, City Council Regular Work Session with
a quorum present at 5:01 P.M., all members were present with the exception of Council
Members Scott Sheley who arrived at 5:02 P.M. and Mercedes Renteria who was absent.
1. DISCUSSIONS
a. Discuss the Baytown Solid Waste and Recycling Program - Administration.
Mayor DonCarlos stated that normally public comments are not allowed during work
sessions, but there would be an allowance at this meeting.
Council Member Sheley requested to speak in regards to this item before other
speakers, so that he may leave due to circumstances. He stated that if the City goes to a
one day a week garbage collection that the rates could be reduced by no less than 20 %.
He recommended the following: that Council instruct administration to bring commercial
recycling to Baytown and offer at the very least 96- gallon carts to any and all businesses
in Baytown with options of having different size front loading dumpsters for businesses
also; that there be consideration of a franchise fee in the commercial accounts and to
charge the same rate for a 96- gallon cart as we do for residential accounts. He stated that
it would make sense that the pickup be on the same route and the front end loaders could
be handled differently on a weekly basis; that the earmark of all fees should go towards
public improvement projects that deal with beautification recycling education programs
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April 12, 2012
Page 2 of 7
for both the City and GCCISD; that the City enter into negotiations with Wal -Mart for
permission to put a recycling satellite antenna with one (1) or two (2) bins that would be
picked up twice weekly. He stated that this location would be given to the community by
our carrier which means this would be at no cost to the City and it would be their
responsibility for the pick up. He recommended that there be a serious negotiation
with GCCISD and Lee College to come up with a plan to recycle in all schools, stadiums,
centers, and all public events. Additionally, he stated that these same
recommendations are being done in other cities, and now is the time for Baytown to take
the next steps and move forward. In closing, Council Member Sheley stated that a
building remodeling ordinance requiring contractors to use a certain percentage
of recycled materials on remodeling projects is an idea to look at in the future.
City Manager Leiper presented the agenda item to discuss the Baytown Solid Waste and
Recycling Program and stated that the City started the pilot program in August of
2011, with the goal of increasing the amount of recycled waste that is diverted from our
landfills. He stated that for three (3) months the baseline data collection was done and
that curbside service was already being done; however, in those three piloted areas, we
had set aside and measured the solid waste tonnage and the recycling tonnage.
City Manager Leiper stated that in Phase I of those areas, from July through October, we
maintained the twice -a -week trash pick up and delivered the 96- gallon recycling carts. He
stated that the switch to Phase 11 was actually done in mid - November, so tonnage for
November is not in either phase.
City Manager Leiper stated that Phase II (from December through March) changed the
solid waste collection in these same three neighborhoods to once -a -week to see: 1) what
was the impact of the 96 gallon cart and 2) what was the impact on top of the 96- gallon
cart of having the once -a -week trash pick up.
City Manager Leiper stated that the pilot areas of West Baytown, Wynnewood, and
Whispering Pines were purposely chosen and have about 3,600 households.
A graphic depiction of the success of the pilot program was presented. City Manager
Leiper stated that the City was at a 50% success rate with the 18- gallon totes which has
not been done in any other city, but felt like more could be done. He stated that in Phase I
with the 96- gallon cart, the recycling tonnage increased by almost double and in Phase II
going from twice -a -week to once -a -week, the tonnage also increased but not as dramatic.
City Manager Leiper stated that because the solid waste tonnage was done over the
Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays, which typically increase due to the holidays, the
solid waste did decrease. He stated that the overall goal of diverting solid waste from the
landfill was met and the percentage of the waste did increase during the pilot program.
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April 12, 2012
Page 3 of 7
City Manager Leiper stated that input was received throughout the program and 36
responses came from resident's right after the implementation of Phase I and I1. The
responses are as follows:
• 5 calls were information only;
• 5 residents were okay with the program;
• 2 residents wanted the program to be city -wide;
• 1 neighborhood association (West Baytown) was in favor of the program;
• 3 residents just don't recycle;
• 12 residents were concerned with once -a -week trash; and
• 8 residents didn't like that they were picked for the Pilot program
City Manager Leiper stated that a direct mail out of postcards went out in March to every
resident in the pilot program encouraging them to provide their feedback. The city
received 17 email responses, which are the following:
• 2 responses from residents were against recycling;
• 1 response from pilot area resident was concerned about once -a -week trash
pickup;
• 9 responses from pilot area residents support the effort of the pilot program; and
• 5 responses from non -pilot area residents were in favor of the pilot program city-
wide
City Manager Leiper stated that looking into the data and leading into the citizen
comment period, it was his opinion that the Council has three options to consider:
1) Go back to the 18 gallon bins and stay at twice a week in the pre -pilot areas;
2) Continue with the twice weekly trash collection and once weekly recycling
with 96- gallon or 65- gallon carts; City Manager Leiper stated that there were
concerns about the size of the cart, but because this was a limited area pilot the
decision was made to use the 96- gallon cart and anything moving forward, the
residents would have the option of using the 96 or 65 gallon cart. City Manager
Leiper stated that the plan would be to deliver the 96- gallon cart with a sticker to
instruct what to do for a different cart. He also stated that there is a smaller size
cart about 35 or 36- gallon which is not being proposed for use because they are
too small of a footprint and of it's instability during the weather
3) Implement Phase II city-wide of once -a -week trash collection and once -a -week
recycling with a 96- gallon or 65- gallon cart.
City Manager Leiper stated that his request to Council is to allow him, the city manager
to negotiate a new contract with Waste Management, in order to merge the solid waste
and recycling contracts into one. City Manager Leiper stated that he hopes to bring
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April 12, 2012
Page 4 of 7
Council a contract for their approval at their May I& or May 24`h 2012, meeting,
depending on the circumstances.
City Manager Leiper stated that the summer would be used to educate residents about the
changes and ordering the carts with the plan that the new contract would become
effective on October 1 st.
Council Member Capetillo inquired what year the city was in as it relates to its contract
with Waste Management. City Manager Leiper clarified that currently the city has two
separate contracts with Waste Management, one for recycling and the other for solid
waste pickup. City Manager Leiper stated that as it relates to the recycling contract, it is
scheduled for approval at the next Council meeting, while the solid waste contract is set
for reauthorization in October, but he clarified that it was his hope that both contracts will
be replaced with one single contract.
Judge Don Coffey and Curtis Wood both registered to speak before the Council in
regards to this item.
Judge Coffey stated that he was excited about the recycling program and would like to
see it city -wide. Judge Coffey stated that the northeast side of Houston has a recycled
bank program which provides bar codes to the 96- gallon carts and once they are picked
up, the tonnage is weighed and the resident receives credit for the amount of tonnage. He
stated that this program gives the residents credits of up to $1 for every 10 pounds of
recycled material. He stated that the website to view the information is recycledbank.com
and there is a list of companies that accepts the recycled bank dollars. City Manager
Leiper stated that he is aware of the program and it in the future of Phase III.
Council Member Capetillo inquired if Waste Management would provide the pick up
with physical bodies or machines. City Manager Leiper stated that the plan is to use the
staff trucks. He stated that the challenge for Baytown is that when looking into
the automated side loaders (ASL), the City would incur costs because of some of the
open ditches. Additionally, he stated that from other city experiences, that if you put the
ASL in wrong, the companies would not pick them up. City Manager Leiper stated that
the carts would be universal so that they could be picked up by staff or ASL.
Council Member Sain stated that one of the negatives to using the ASL is that you could
have spillage City Manager Leiper stated that initially the automated system was looked
into first, but considering the ditches and street parking it was best to go with the manned
first and then consider the automated in the future. Mayor DonCarlos recommended
putting the bar codes on the carts now so that they are ready for implementing the
incentive program.
Mr. Thane Harrison, Waste Management Representative, stated that they have purchased
the recycle bank program; however, he is not completely familiar with the ins and outs of
the program. Mr. Harrison offered to bring an expert in this program to a follow -up
meeting to give a presentation regarding the program and answer all of council's
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April 12, 2012
Page 5 of 7
questions. Additionally, he stated that the current plan is to bring it back and add it to the
contract at a later date.
Mr. Woods stated that he liked the larger bins option because the smaller ones had the
trash blows away, which is not appealing. Also, he stated that the larger carts make the
city look nicer, but that the council still wanted to consider giving citizens the option to
choose which size they wanted. Additionally, he stated that his neighborhood has many
alleys and is expressed concerned regarding their maintenance. He stated that
pickups would mess up the alleys and he feels that they need a little bit of attention. Mr.
Woods stated that he lives on a narrow busy street, and is concerned that someone could
get hurt because some neighbors place their bins on the street. He recommended having
something in place to address residents that are placing incorrect materials into bins,
which leads to them not being picked up. He asked is there is something that can be sent
to let someone know that they are placing incorrect items in the bins, so it can be
corrected.
Mr. Woods inquired if the school paper was connected to the City's recycling program
and if the two could be combined. Mayor DonCarlos stated that the school has its own
system. Mr. Woods also stated that in regards to the credits, if possible, he recommended
taking a discount off of the charge for service, which could help those that are not making
much money right now.
Mayor DonCarlos inquired if this was a matter of education, and if there was something
in place for this. City Manager Leiper stated that there is a process to notify citizens that
have problems with what materials they can and cannot recycle and that this issue would
be addressed.
Mr. Zackary Scarborough stated that he appreciates the city's efforts to provide a
recycling program, but had a concern of the misappropriation of the bins. He stated that
there were a number of bins delivered to homes that were not being occupied at the time
and were taken away by other people. He stated that he is also concerned about going
from the twice a week trash pickup to once a week and having the accumulation of trash
for days.
Mayor DonCarlos stated that the comments he has received were related to wanting the
option of having smaller bins since the big ones are too heavy for them. He also stated
that the twice a week pickup is preferred because of the trash remaining around their
house for more than one or two days. Mayor DonCarlos stated that no one has suggested
to shut the program down, and is in favor of going city -wide with the choice of the bins
with going to a twice a day pickup. Additionally, he stated that he's extremely proud of
the citizens and the success of the program.
City Manager Leiper stated that to furnish carts for the City is about $1 million dollars
with a life anticipation of five (5) years. He stated that looking at amortizing these cost
for five (5) years, the terms of the new program would be for five (5) years to allow time
for the company to recover its cost. City Manager Leiper noted that Waste Management
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April 12, 2012
Page 6 of 7
has not increased its fees in the last 3 years due to the success of the recycling program
and its impact to the solid waste, which has not increased. He also stated that there are
some pressures in the last few months that will increase our cost such as the price
doubling for diesel, which will impact the cost of the twice a week trash pickup. He
stated that the cost increase would be at an estimated $250,000 a year or roughly $1 a
month per user, with the city -wide twice a week option; however, the once a week option,
including the cost of the bins, would result in a minimum of a $225 -250 thousand dollar
reduction, due to the cost of the carts being offset from running the route once instead of
twice a week, which is a reduction in staff, diesel and time.
Mayor DonCarlos inquired if the rate would be locked in for five (5) years. City Manager
Leiper stated that we would lock the rate in for five years, but there would be some sort
of CPI or fuel rate included in the contract that will allow the rate to adjust as fuel cost go
up or down. Council Member Capetillo inquired if the rate is adjusted once a year. Mr.
Harrison stated that the fuel rate is locked at the Monday of each quarter and take place
during the next quarter.
Mayor DonCarlos stated that if we role in commercial, how does that affect the overall
cost. City Manager Leiper stated that there was discussion about adding commercial
recycling and pickups for apartments and small businesses, which would be somewhat
based on residential fees. City Manager Leiper stated that once the contracts are merged,
that there will be no separate recycling fees, as it will be tied into the program.
Additionally, he stated that commercial was not looked at because the 18- gallon totes and
the 96- gallon carts are the only sized available, which would not be large enough to
accommodate the needs of a commercial property. Mayor DonCarlos stated that he
wants the City Manager to look into adding some commercial aspects to the program.
Council Member Capetillo stated that he supports option one, but would like to have
some hard numbers for the council to review and consider before making a decision.
Council Member McCartney inquired how big is the issue of having the once versus the
twice a week trash pickup, and whether or not this is something that could be taken care
of through education? City Manager Leiper stated that a part of the issue is based on
what we are used to. He stated that in Phase I, most people didn't' want to continue with
the twice a week pickup because they didn't want to lose the good garbage service for the
sake of recycling. He also stated that if someone is recycling everything that they can,
then there is hardly any trash to put out as it relates to solid waste.
Council Member McCartney asked Mr. Harrison how many cities around the stated have
one week pickup versus two. Mr. Harrison stated that the Woodlands and some cities in
north Texas have once a week trash pickup, and it works. Additionally, he stated that this
is a cultural change which takes people time to get used to.
City Manager Leiper inquired if a resident who just arrived could speak in regards to this
item. Mayor DonCarlos extended allowance for Mr. Chuck Russell to speak.
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April 12, 2012
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Mr. Russell provided documents to the Council and stated that he has residents at 423
West Pierce and discovered that the trash pickup was only once a week. He stated that in
this area, the families are large and in some instances more than one family lives in the
home, which results in large quantities of trash being set out and having trash bins all
over the area. He presented pictures to Council illustrating his concerns. He commented
that the pictures were taken on a Monday or Tuesday and that the trash pickup is not until
Friday. He also stated that he lives right off of Texas Avenue and has due to the large
amount of trash, picked up a number of critters, such as feral cats, raccoons and possums
with a lot of help from the Health Department. Mr. Russell stated that in this area he did
not believe that the once a week trash pickup was sufficient, but also stated that if the
once a week is going to happen, then more needed to be done to police the current trash
issue.
Council Member Hoskins stated that when the city first started the program, he received
many calls, mostly in favor of the recycling program, but not in favor of the once a week
pickup. However, since the program has been in place for a number of months, that trend
has changed and the calls are mostly in favor of the recycling. He stated that his concern
is related to the once a week trash pickup because we could see more trash being thrown
out and around in public areas that the city will then have to pick up.
City Manager Leiper stated that he would like for Council to make a decision on the
program not base on cost, but on what is the best option for the city.
Council Member Sain stated that he received lots of calls in support of the recycling
program and once a week pickup, but also received negative calls inquiring why their
area was not chosen for the pilot program.
Mayor DonCarlos asked City Manager Leiper to bring back cost proposals for the
citywide recycling program with the twice a week solid waste pick up.
2. ADJOURN
With there being no further business to discuss, Mayor DonCarlos adjourned the April
12, 2012, City Council Regular Work Session at 6:02 P.M.