HomeMy WebLinkAbout3-24-08_Effects of Landfill Closure on Various Community1
Commission Memorandum
REPORT TO: Honorable Mayor and City Commissioners
FROM: Debbie Arkell, Director of Public Services
Chris Kukulski, City Manager
SUBJECT: Effects of Landfill Closure on Various Community Functions
MEETING DATE: March 24, 2008
RECOMMENDATION: Recognize that certain Bozeman community events open to the
general public provide good-will and/or financial support for public programs or charities; that
the trash generated from these events is essentially the public’s trash; and in most cases there is
minimal additional cost to the City’s Solid Waste division to provide pick up and disposal of
such trash. Make and approve a motion to direct staff to continue providing solid waste services,
including free disposal, to certain Bozeman Community events open to the general public, in the
same manner as has been done in the past and as outlined in the Staff Memo.
BACKGROUND: Commission Resolution No. 3865 was adopted on October 17, 2005 and
became effective on October 30, 2005 to waive City landfill tipping fees for the following
entities:
· Sacks of Bozeman
· Salvation Army of Bozeman
· Gallatin Valley Food Bank
· Gallatin County Road and Bridge Department; State of Montana Transportation
Department; Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks; Clean up Bozeman Day;
and City of Bozeman Streets and Parks Divisions for street sweepings, fall and spring
streets and parks cleanup; dead animals found along city, county and state roadways; and
roadside trash
· Bozeman Community events open to the general public, such as Bite of Bozeman, Music
on Main, Christmas Stroll and Sweet Pea Festival of the Arts
· Landfill Cover Material (i.e., clean dirt, street and parking lot sweepings.
The City’s landfill will close on June 30, 2008, as agreed to when the City joined the Gallatin
Solid Waste Management District. On January 30, 2008, Staff notified Sacks of Bozeman,
Salvation Army of Bozeman, Gallatin Valley Food Bank, County Road Department, MDT, and
FWP that because of the closure of the landfill, the City will not be able to provide free disposal
for them after June 30, 2008.
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The District Board has not yet established a policy on whether they will provide free or reduced
disposal to non-profit and government entities, but began discussing the issue at their February
Board meeting. The discussion was continued to their March 20, 2008 Board meeting. At the
February meeting, the Board was leaning toward providing free tipping to agencies whose
services provided some type of “recycling” benefit. I asked the Board to consider a policy for
free or reduced tipping fees for community events held throughout the District. No decision or
discussion has yet occurred on this topic.
ISSUE: The question that remains to be addressed is what impact, if any, the closure of the
Bozeman landfill will have on the free services the Solid Waste Division currently provides for
community events. We would like to give the organizers of these events as much notice as
possible if they need to plan for the cost of disposal after June 30, 2008. The Solid Waste
Division will continue to offer the collection service, which at times pressures the staff to
complete their regular duties plus the extra duties, but we recognize the value of this service to
our community. We are seeking direction from the Commission whether the Solid Waste
Collection division budget should absorb the cost of the tipping fees for the disposal of the waste
generated by these community events. Following is a list of events that currently receive free
services, and the estimated disposal costs:
Logan Spec Trip
Event Containers Days Volume Tip Fee Req’d*
Sweet Pea
Festival of
the Arts (1)
100 totes
Six 6-yard
dumpsters
One roll-off
Deliver Friday
Collect Sat & Sun w/OT
Collect & remove
containers Monday
4 ton $108 Yes, for
roll-offs
Bite of
Bozeman
70 totes Deliver Wednesday.
Collect & remove Thurs
2 ton $54 No
Music on
Main
8 100-gal totes Deliver Thursdays for 9
weeks
Collect & remove Fridays
1.5 ton
total for
season
$40.50 No
Christmas
Stroll
23 65-gal totes Deliver Saturday
Collect & remove Sunday
Less than
1 ton
$27 No
DBA Car
Show
12 100-gal totes Deliver Saturday
Collect & remove Sunday
with OT
Less than
1 ton
$27 No
Bozeman
Firemen’s
Breakfast
One 6-yard
dumpster
Deliver Friday
Collect & remove Monday
Less than
1 ton
$27 No
Optimists’
Garage-O-
Rama
2 30-yard Roll-
offs; 1 6-yard
dumpster
Deliver Friday
Collect & remove Monday
5 ton $135 2 trips
$500
Clean Up
Bozeman
Day
Various, plus
free dump passes
Deliver Friday
Collect & remove Monday
8 ton $216 3 trips
$750
*If no special trip to Logan is required, it is because the trucks are able to collect the waste and
then continue on their regular routes, with the additional waste not being enough to over-fill their
trucks. Solid Waste truck trips to Logan are estimated at $250/trip, which includes personnel,
fuel, depreciation, etc. Current fee resolution sets a 30-yard roll-off service fee at $292.
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(1) No dumpster or roll-off rental fee is charged. Admission is charged for this event. The
Festival pays for Overtime needed on Saturday and Sunday for pickups. Due to staff
shift changes, no OT on Saturday will be needed for 2008.
FISCAL EFFECTS: At $27/ton tip fee at the Logan Landfill, the disposal costs for the
identified events would be $634.50, and the current truck service fees would be 1,250. The total
amount of free service disposal service offered is approximately $1,884.50. If the Solid Waste
Division does not absorb these costs, each event organization will have to contract with the City
or a private hauler for these services.
ALTERNATIVES: As suggested by the City Commission.
Report compiled on March 19, 2008
Cc: Steve Johnson, Solid Waste Superintendent
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