CITY COUNCIL AGENDA ITEM
ACTION REQUESTED:
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Direct staff to prepare a budget amendment for $274,000 to effectively continue the desired service levels of the City's annual six-week, three-cycle bulk curbside leaf program.
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DEPARTMENT: Department of Public Works
SUBMITTED BY: Richard Dublinski, Director
BOARD/COMMISSION REVIEW:
N/A
BACKGROUND:
Due to challenges surrounding aging equipment, unpredictability of weather and the public safety need for adequate winter preparation, on April 16, 2019, staff recommended a transition of the annual bulk curbside leaf collection program to a four-week, two-cycle program beginning in fall 2019. The City Council did not approve this change and directed staff to examine alternative methods for continuing the existing six-week, three-cycle program in a more efficient and effective manner. Specifically, Council asked staff to evaluate new equipment, contractor assistance, and daily hours of operation to complete the program on time and before winter weather becomes an issue.
Council noted that the leaf program is one of the most important services the City provides to its residents and that the City needs to find ways in which it can continue well into the future. Based on the Council's feedback, DPW has developed a five-year plan from both an operational and equipment standpoint to help bolster the existing program in the coming years so that the City can continue to provide its residents with a six-week, three-cycle program well into the future.
DISCUSSION:
Each year DPW's leaf equipment continues to age and become less reliable. Finding replacement parts is a challenge since many pieces of equipment have been discontinued. When parts are found, they are costly since they often need to be fabricated and reproduced since they are not commonly used in the marketplace.
In addition to equipment issues, DPW is faced with winter weather towards the end of the leaf program each year. Winter weather in any f...
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