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Home My WebLink About11/07/2005 B A K'E R S F I E L'D _(~ 0'~.~- ~ Mike Maggard,,Chair Staff: John W. Stinson Irma Carson For: Alan Tandy, City Manager Harold Hanson AGENDA SUMMARY REPORT BUDGET AND FINANCE COMMITTEE MEETING Monday, November 7, 2005 · 10:00 a.m. City Manager's Conference Room - City Hall 1. ROLL CALL Called to Order at 10:00 a.m. Present: Councilmembers Mike Maggard, Chair; Irma Carson and Harold Hanson 2. ADOPT SEPTEMBER 21, 2005 AGENDA SUMMARY REPORT Adopted as submitted. 3. PUBLIC STATEMENTS 4. DEFERRED BUSINESS A. Discussion and Committee recommendation on potential sale of the City Airport City Manager Tandy gave an overview of the material in the packet. At the Committee's request, Public Works had provided a draft Request for Release (closure application) document for the Committee's approval, which included an economic development concept for the property. Staff noted the appraisal has not been received for the property and the legal description of the Airport needed to be added. Committee Chair Maggard requested staff to prepare a cover letter to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), perhaps for the Mayor's signature, with a narrative of what is enclosed and include an explanation of what the City would like to accomplish by the closure providing there is a qualified buyer(s). George StUrges, airport tenant, spoke in opposition to closing the Airport. AGENDA SUMMARY REPORT Page 2 BUDGET AND FINANCE COMMITTEE MEETING Monday, November 7, 2005 The Committee Members and Public Works staff responded to the comments made by Mr. Sturges regarding the Airport and federal grants. Committee Member Carson made a motion the Committee recommend to the Council moving forward with a request to close the Bakersfield Municipal Airport by sending the Request for Release to the FAA. The Committee unanimously agreed and requested staff to forward the Committee recommendation, the cover letter with the request for closure and other related documents to the City Council at the November 30th Council meeting. 5. NEW BUSINESS A. Discussion and Committee recommendation on development of incentives to encourage use of household recycling containers City Manager Tandy explained several years ago when the refuse cart program started and trash pickup changed to once a. week, the Committee recommended to subsidize the rate for the additional tan refuse carts in order to help large families who could not get by with one refuse cart per week. The additional tan cart costs the City $76.08 to service per year and residents pay only $51.52 per year, which is a subsidy of $24.56 per resident for a total of approximately $75,000 per year. The cost to service the blue recycling cart is $80.00 per year. Councilmember Sullivan referred the issue to the Budget and Finance Committee because it is less costly to have a second tan refuse cart than to pay for the blue recycling cart, with a request to explore if the charges could be review and modified to incentivize more residents to use the blue recycling cart. The City Manager provided the following options to the Committee: 1. Equalize the rates by removing the subsidy from the second tan refuse cart. Thereare about 3,000 in the community, so there may be protests. 2. Flip-flop the subsidy from the additional tan refuse cart to the blue recycling cart. A letter could be sent to the approximately 3,000 residents with the additional tan refuse cart stating they could stay at the same rate if they traded in the additional tan refuse cart for a blue recycling cart. It was noted that the blue recycling cart is only picked up every two weeks so it could seem to some as an uneven trade. Another category of service is residents who turn in their greenwaste cart (because they have full-yard service) for an additional tan refuse cart free of charge. There are about 4,000 residents who have turned in the green cart. So, another option would be: AGENDA SUMMARY REPORT , Page 3 BUDGET AND FINANCE COMMITTEE MEETING Monday, November 7, 2005 3. When residents turn in their green cart, provide the blue .recycling cart for no Charge instead of the additional tan cart. It was noted the distances for refuse trucks to travel is much greater to cover a route when picking up the blue recycling carts as there are fewer and spread over a larger area. The contract haulers have not been consulted as yet on this option. Public Works Director Rojas explained with the building boom and the large amount of construction waste going to the landfill, it is difficult to maintain the 50% recycling mandate. Committee Chair Maggard asked staff to check into the fact that it is cheaper for homeowners to move into a new home and immediately tear out the flooring and have special flooring of their choice put in by local retailers than have the developer provide it. Under present regulations, you are not allowed to take possession of a new home unless it has flooring. All the new torn-out flooring goes to the landfill. Committee Chair Maggard requested staff to check with the contract haulers and Councilmember Sullivan for more information and bring this issue back to the Committee. B. Discussion and Committee recommendation on growth of the City and impacts on refuse collection Committee Chair Maggard explained he referred this item to work out a plan for contract hauling as the City annexes existing and newly developing areas. Some of the areas are already being serviced by private refuse haulers contracting with the County and are not part of the current association of haulers on contract with the City. He requested staff to begin formulating a plan with a process for collection arrangements with new refuse haulers and contract haulers in the new areas so everyone will be clear on how the City plans to proceed with economic arrangements for refuse collection. Committee Member Carson questioned when the City adds new areas, would the City expand its refuse fleet or use contract haulers? Staff responded it would be both. However, since the City's refuse fleet and employees are paid from an Enterprise Fund, it will not be a drain on the General Fund. Chuck Waide, SEIU/CCAPE, spoke regarding the need to look at what is most cost-effective, adding to the City's refuse fleet and employees, or contracting with outside haulers. AGENDA SUMMARY REPORT Page 4 BUDGET AND FINANCE COMMITTEE MEETING Monday, November 7, 2005 On a related subject Committee Chair Maggard had questions on the City;s greenwaste facility pertaining to the lease with private haulers of the concrete slab area to recycle concrete/construction waste. With the new air pollution regulations and the significant private outlay he wanted to make sure their financing term is long enough to recoup their equipment investments. Public Works Director Rojas stated in 1995 the contract was extended to 2014. The contract was originally set to expire in 2005 and at that time it was extended to 2014 so the contract haulers could make the necessary recapture on their equipment investments. Solid Waste Director Barnes expressed as the City is looking at the value of developing a transfer station in the future to get refuse across town, he thought the haulers might like to be included in the activities of the transfer station. Staff is evaluating the cost and value of a transfer station. City and County staff have had discussions on where a site could be located to be cost-effective. The transfer station will come back to the Committee at a later date when there is something to report. C. Discussion and Committee recommendation on revising City contract limits Finance Director Smith provided an overview of the memorandum in the packet. Currently, the Municipal Code requires the use of a formal bid process and City Council approval of agreements over $25,000. The time frame to go out for a formal bid and be approved by the City Council through a formal contract procedure can take up to six weeks. In some instances this time delay has become a practical problem When trying to obtain the best possible price and timely delivery. Staff recommended amending the Municipal Code to raise the dollar threshold for both the formal bidding and the formal contract procedures from $25,000 to $75,000. Goods and services from $25,000 to $75,000 would still be bid using an informal process to get the best price from at least three vendors. In most cases it would still be a written process using faxes and e-mails. , Committee Member Hanson made a motion to support staff's recommendation and forward the amended ordinance to the Council at the November 30th meeting for first reading. The Committee unanimously approved the motion. 6. COMMITTEE COMMENTS 7. ADJOURNMENT The meeting adjourned at 11:18 a.m. AGENDA SUMMARY REPORT Page 5 BUDGET AND FINANCE COMMITTEE MEETING Monday, November 7, 2005 Attendance: Staff: City Manager Alan Tandy; City Attorney Ginny Gennaro; Assistant City Manager John W. Stinson; Finance Director Nelson Smith; Public Works Director Raul Rojas; Economic Development Director Donna Kunz; Public Works Operations Manager Brad Underwood; Real Property Manager Don Anderson; Purchasing OffiCer Diane Wagner; Solid Waste Director Kevin Barnes; and Solid Waste Superintendent Sal Moretti Others: Jim Scott, Channel 17 KGET; Mark Howell, KUZZ/KCWR; James Burger, The Bakersfield Californian; Harry Hackney, airport tenant; Joe Campen, airport tenant; Shane Ellis, Kern Charter; Greg Ferrari, Kern Refuse; Chuck Waide and Pete Rodriguez, SEIU, CCAPE; and George Sturges, Jr. cc: Honorable Mayor and City Council S:~JOHN\Council Com m ittees\05Budget&Finance~bf05nov07sum mary.doc