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HomeMy WebLinkAbout1988-12-19 - City Commission Special Meeting MinutesE a 7525 NORTHWEST 88TH AVENUE 0 TAMARAC, FLORIDA 33321-2401 TELEPHONE (305) 722.5900 SPECIAL MEETING CITY COUNCIL OF TAMARAC, FLORIDA There will be a Special Meeting of the City Council on Monday, December 19, 1988 at 10:00 A.M., in the Council Chambers, City Hall, 7525 N.W. 88th Avenue, Tamarac, Florida. The purpose of this meeting is discussion and possible action regarding recycling. F I ML ACTION:_ DISCUSSION was held with various representatives of condominiums throughout the City regarding recycling. The Council may consider and act upon such other business as may come before it. All meetings are open to the public. Pursuant to Section 286.0105, Florida Statutes If a person decides to appeal any decision made by the city Council with respect to any matter considered at such meeting or 7learing, ho will need a record of the proceedings end for such ozirpose, he may need to ensure that a verbatim nXW inCluft 2 c b testimony and evidence upon which the appeal IS tp be bBSed� CAE/gt Carol A. Evans City Clerk AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER POLICY OF NONDISCRIMINATION ON THE BASIS OF HANDICAPPED STATUS E 1 1 CITY OF TAMARAC CITY COUNCIL SPECIAL MEETING MONDAY, DECEMBER 19, 1988 TAPE 1 CALL TO ORDER: Mayor Abramowitz called this meeting to Order on May, December 19, 1988 at 10:00 A.M. in the Council Chambers. MEDITATION AND PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE: Mayor Abramowitz called for the Pledge of Allegiance followed by a moment of Silent Meditation dedicated to the wife of Mort Cherry, who passed away. PRFRRMT e ALSO PRESENT: Mayor Norman Abramowitz Vice Mayor Jack Stelzer Councilman Dr. H. Larry Bender Councilman Bruce Hoffman Councilman Henry Rohr John P. Kelly, City Manager Richard Doody, City Attorney Pauline Walaszek, Special Services Secretary The purpose of this meeting is discussion and possible action regarding recycling. Mayor Abramowitz introduced the City Council, City Manager and City Attorney to the Audience. Mayor Abramowitz said the purpose of the meeting was because the State mandated that the Cities and Counties engage in a recycling program by July, 1989. He said there was a nationwide problem regarding how a recycling program could be implemented for the Condominiums. Mayor Abramowitz said this meeting would allow the Condominium residents to comment on, discuss and suggest a workable recycling program for their Condominiums. He asked that the residents identify themselves, their Condominium Complex and building height. Mayor Abramowitz announced that Ben Sonnenreich and Jerry Resnick, Councilmen from North Lauderdale, were present at the meeting. City Manager Kelly said the City has been negotiating with Waste Management, Inc., regarding a Contract for single-family units. He said the City had a population of 42,000 and there are 13,000 single --family units and 7,000 multi -family units. He said the national average of solid waste generation is 6.57 pounds per person per day or 1.27 tons per person per year. He said the State of Florida's average of solid waste generation is 6.9 to 8.2 pounds per person per day or 1.49 tons per person per year. City Manager Kelly said providing a recycling program for the Condominiums was a problem and there were no solutions available. He said Waste Management, Inc., indicated that their proposed Contract would be for single-family homes. Page 1 12/19/88 City Manager Kelly said the Representatives of Waste Management, Inc., have travelled around the Country and were familiar with the problems and were reviewing the needs. C/M Rohr said he visited several Condominiums with Waste Management, Inc., and surveyed the areas. He said each Condominium was a separate problem and individual treatment would be needed to determine how a recycling program could be implemented. C/M Rohr said it was very important for the Condominium residents to realize that they were vital to the success of recycling in the City. He said there were two incinerator plants being built and the cost for tipping fees in the future would be increased from $34.00 per ton to $62.00 per ton. He said the Cities and Counties had to work to decrease the waste flow or the cost for dumping would be tremendous. C/M Rohr said recycling was needed for economical and environmental reasons and it was vital for the residents to participate with the program. He said it was difficult to get the residents to participate unless the program was convenient. He said each individual Condominium would have to be visited and surveyed in order to get a workable, feasible program. He said a program could and would be created because it had to be created. Warren Smith, Marketing Development Manager of Waste Management, Inc., said the Florida Legislature passed Recycling Legislation that contained several items that would be legislated by the State such as how to handle infectious waste, tires, white goods, etc. He said a major portion of the Legislation was recycling and a goal for the State, Counties and Cities was set to reduce the waste stream by recycling/reuse by 30% by July, 1994. He said a goal for Community recycling was set to recycle a majority of aluminum cans, newspaper, steel/tin cans and plastic bottles. He said these recycling programs must be implemented by July 1, 1989. Mr. Smith said there were several programs available such as the curbside multi -material recycling program. He said this program was operated in a way the would have the residents rethink the way they dealt with their trash. He said the program would require the residents to rinse bottles and cans separating them from the other non -recycling materials. He said each single-family home would be given a small plastic bin to place the recycling items in and placed at the curbside for pick-up by Waste Management, Inc. Mr. Smith said there were problems in finding a workable program for multi -family units and condominiums. He said Waste Management, Inc., was currently servicing approximately 700,000 residential areas with the curbside program; however, the experience with condominiums was limited. He said Waste Management, Inc., was entering into experience in other States on this matter. He said the residents of condominiums would be asked to separate recycling materials for pick-up. Mr. Smith said when Waste Management, Inc., and C/M Rohr visited some of the Condominium areas, they found that each condominium had to be determined separately in finding a workable recycling program. He said the Page 2 12/19/88 configuration of the waste chutes and refuse rooms were different from each other and a program had to be established for each unit so that the equipment available for pick-up could operate efficiently and accurately. He said in order to get a workable program for each condominium the residents had to assist the City and Waste Management, inc., in finding a workable recycling program. Mayor Abramowitz said he has heard several comments regarding the profits made in recycling. He said the City and residents should not be concerned about the profits at this time because regardless of what they were, the State was mandating that the programs be implemented. He said the proposed program for single-family homes would consist of one container for all of the recycling materials to be placed by the curbside for Waste Management, Inc., to pick-up. He said Waste Management, Inc., would take the material to their plant and separate it. Mayor Abramowitz said he asked that the Condominiums Associations attend this meeting to suggest solutions for a program. Matty Matthews, Resident of Kings Point, had concerns with available space in the Condominiums for containers. He asked that this be considered because his complex had a very small kitchen area with limited cupboard space. C/M Hoffman asked how many units there were in the Complex and Mr. Matthews replied, 240 and the buildings were 3 stories. C/M Hoffman asked that the residents indicate the number of units in each Complex. Mayor Abramowitz asked if Mr. Matthews' Condominium Complex bundled their newspapers and took them to a special dumpster and Mr. Matthews replied, yes. Mr. Matthews said 95% of the residents in his Condominium Complex participated in the newspaper recycling program. Bernie Simms, Resident of Bermuda Club, said his Condominium was a 3 story building with 36 units in each building. He said he was glad that the residents would not be required to separate each individual type of material into different bins. Mr. Simms said the average age in Bermuda Club was 70 to 80 and when things had to be taken downstairs, it was not very easy. He said his Condominium used a chute and the Bermuda Club residents would not object in participating in the program providing the program was convenient for the residents. Mayor Abramowitz asked if there was a maintenance person that could collect the bins from the residents every two days providing the residents set the bins outside. Mr. Simms said Bermuda Club only had two maintenance people and there was not enough room in the units to store the bins. Mayor Abramowitz asked if the trash rooms at Bermuda Club could be used and Mr. Simms said the trash rooms were very small. Page 3 12/19/88 TAPE 2 C/M Rohr said the trash rooms were surveyed by him and Waste Management, Inc., and he understood Mr. Simms when he said the trash rooms were small. He said the City and Waste Management, Inc., were going to work with each Condominium Complex to create a program that would work for them. Irving Polk, Resident of Kings Point - Belfort, said there were four 3 story buildings in his Complex that contained 144 Units each and 48 Garden Units which contained 400 Units. He said there was a program in West Palm Beach which had three 55-gallon drums set adjacent from the dumpsters for the residents to separate the recycling materials. He said the Condominium Complexes were given a rebate for separating these materials. Mr. Polk said the City of Tamarac would get more participants if this type of program was implemented and if the residents knew they would be getting a rebate for doing the separation. He suggested the City consider this type of program. V/M Stelzer asked how the garbage landed in the bins after it was sent down the chute and Mr. Polk said the garbage fell right into the bins. Abe Garr, Resident of Kings Point, said the program would work if the residents were placed on an incentive program such as the residents in New York. He said the residents were charged a deposit at the grocery markets for recycling items and, after use, the residents brought the containers back to the store for refund. He suggested different color bags be used for different types of materials collected. He said the City would get more participants if they offered an incentive such as Green Stamps, Parties, etc. Brian Beckio, Resident of Kings Point, thanked the City. Council for holding this meeting for the Condominium residents. He said he felt uncomfortable having volunteers collect the garbage from the residents and leaving the bins or bags outside of their doors because it was unsanitary and unreliable. Mr. Beckio said the surrounding Cities were looking to Cities like Tamarac and Sunrise which have a lot of Condominiums for advice. He suggested that the Cities meet and discuss these matters and concerns. He said the City of Plantation had a program using garbage bags that have to be purchased to subsidize the cost in collection. He said this program was being reviewed by some Cities in Palm Beach at this time. He said the residents of Kings Point would volunteer to participate in the program and assist in communicating with other Cities to work out a program. Mayor Abramowitz said he agreed with Mr. Beckio's comments; however, the cost of the tipping fees was going to triple. He said the State was making recycling programs mandatory and the City of Tamarac had to find a solution to their problems the other Cities may want to follow; however, the City Council would work solely on the City of Tamarac's concerns. Dr. Leonard Stein, Resident of Fairways, said his Condominium was 3 stories with 174 Units. He suggested that the Building Codes be changed to accommodate the trash chutes having separate compartments in the new Page 4 11 1 N 12/19/88 developments. He had concerns with how the City would handle the matter of residents not complying with the program. C/M Hoffman said the City was not in the position to address this matter at this time. He said the State mandated the Cities to have a recycling program and the State would probably be sure that there were penalties for those who do not comply. He said he would like to see the matter implemented on a voluntary basis with the residents. Dr. Stein said having all of the recycling materials in one container was an asset as opposed to multiple containers. Anthony Silvestri, Resident of Lime Bay, said his development had 18 three story buildings with 42 units in each building. He said there were two dumpsters in each building and the rooms for the dumpsters were approximately 100 square feet. He said if the dumpsters could be reduced, there could be three separate dumpsters for the material. He said the idea of different colored bags was very good. Mayor Abramowitz asked if there would be problems with having a large plastic bag for the materials in his Condominium Complex and Mr. Silvestri replied, no. C/M Rohr said he would like the Condominiums to come to the City and inform them of the space and solutions to implementing a program. Paul Bernikow, Resident of Lime Bay, said he was not in favor of having plastic bags. He suggested that a more permanent fixture be placed in the Condominium complexes. He said this would help in compliance with the program. C/M Hoffman said if there were two containers available to the residents, one for organic materials and one for recycling material the program would be more successful and Mr. Bernikow said it would make the residents participate in separating the material. C/M Hoffman said Waste Management, Inc., would be separating the material at their plant and Mr. Bernikow said if separating the material would be a cost savings to the residents, they would be more than willing to do it. V/M Stelzer said if the recycling material was separated from the organic material the dumpsters would not have to be so large. He asked if Waste Management, Inc., could provide smaller dumpsters and Mr. Smith, Representative of Waste Management, Inc., replied, yes. V/M Stelzer said if the dumpsters could be smaller, the recycling materials could have a separate dumpster. He said the material could be taken to the dumpsters each day and this would avoid the concerns of the residents in not having enough room for the bags. Mayor Abramowitz asked Mr. Smith what could be recycled and Mr. Smith said newspapers, excluding any type of plastic coated papers and magazines, aluminium cans, steel/tin cans, plastic containers and glass. Page 5 V 12/19/88 TAPE 3 Jack Levine, Resident of Sabal Palm, had concerns with the residents understanding the program and what was needed by them. He suggested that the residents be informed by individually meeting with them. He said he called Waste Management, Inc., several times regarding having their dumpsters cleaned. He said the dumpsters were smelling and the residents would appreciate something being done. George Gottfried, Resident of Sabal Palm, had concerns with space availability for a recycling program. He said sensible simple solutions were needed in order for the residents to comply with the program. He said curbside dumpsters may be the only solution for his Condominium Complex. He said the residents would have to be informed of what was needed in order for compliance to the program. He suggested that there be fines assigned to the Complexes that do not comply with the program. Mayor Abramowitz said when the tipping fees were increased to $62.00 per ton causing the residents' bills to increase the residents would begin to comply with the program. Sonny Winnerman, Resident of Kings Point - Ashmont, said there were 290 units and 138 units were three story buildings and 152 were ground buildings. He asked if future developments would be required to plan for accommodations for the recycling program. V/M Stelzer said there have been no discussions at this point for changing the regulations. Abe Garr, Resident of Kings Point, asked if aluminum cans and tin cans could be placed in the same container and if the glasses would have to be sorted by color. Mayor Abramowitz said the City Manager has been negotiating with Waste Management, Inc., regarding placing the material in one container. He said the residents would not be required to place the material in specific order because Waste Management, Inc., would separate the material. Arthur Callenberry, Resident of Fairways, said his Complex had 4 three story buildings with approximately 40 units in each building. He said there was one chute on the second and third floors of each building. He said the ground floors did not have chutes and the residents took their garbage to the dumpsters. He said he did not feel that placing the material in the catwalks was unsanitary and dangerous. Mr. Callenberry suggested that there be two dumpsters available, one for newspaper and one for recycling material. Bernie Simms, Resident of Bermuda Club, asked what was to be done with magazines, etc., and Mayor Abramowitz said these items would be placed with regular garbage. V/M Stelzer asked if telephone books could be recycled and Warren Smith, Representative of Waste Management, Inc., said telephone books were difficult to recycle because of the glue and staples used on them. Page 6 I 12/19/88 Mr. Simms had concerns with the newspapers piling up until pick-up and C/M Rohr said if there was a Condominium needing additional pick-up, Waste Management, Inc., would make additional pick-ups. Joe Stokvis, Resident of Sands Point, suggested that each Condominium Association submit a survey to the City Council as to the needs and suggestions in implementing a program. C/M Hoffman asked how many units were in Mr. Stokvis's Complex and Mr. Stokvis replied, there were 570 units, 19 buildings with 30 units to each building. Mr. Stokvis suggested that the dumpsters in his complex be divided into three compartments for the residents. C/M Rohr said he would begin working with Waste Management, Inc., to meet with every Condominium Complex to review their area and the problems. He said there were igloos available that could be set outside of the Complexes. He said the igloos were not obtrusive and, in order to have these containers, each Condominium Complex had to be surveyed to determine where these containers could be placed. C/M Hoffman said it was important to realize that out of the 7,000 units in the City, 5,000 units were being represented at this meeting. He said the City Council was hoping that the residents would make these suggestions. He said the City Council has heard several suggestions and would review those suggestions making a determination. C/M Hoffman said the residents should be informed that the City Council was not creating this program without need. He said the State was mandating a recycling program; therefore, the City Council was working to get the best program for the residents. Ms. Kelly, Broward County Solid Waste Management Division, said the County would like to participate with the City's Task Force. She said there were no guidelines; therefore, the County and other Cities were interested in the City of Tamarac and the City of Coconut Creek's plans for a recycling program. C/M Hoffman asked if there was Grant money available for the Cities and Ms. Kelly said Grant money was available for Cities with a population of 50,000 or more. Ben Sonnenreich, Councilman for the City of North Lauderdale, asked if two Cities could work together and get the Grant money and Ms. Kelly replied that this may be possible. Mayor Abramowitz asked if the Councilmen of North Lauderdale had any comments on the recycling matter. Jerry Resnick, Councilman for the City of North Lauderdale, said his Condominium had problems with bringing newspapers to a dumpster for pick-up. He said there was a cost in picking up the newspapers and he said he found it hard to believe that Waste Management, Inc., would pick-up and separate the recycling material without an additional cost. Page 7 12/19/88 Mayor Abramowitz said the City of Tamarac was mainly concerned with the space availability and compliance with the program. He said as the recycling program progressed, solutions to problems would be found. Mr. Resnick had concerns with the organic material being reduced with the recycling programs and he asked if the tipping fee cost would continue to be lower because of the cost saved with the recycling program. Mayor Abramowitz said Waste Management, Inc., insured the City that the costs of the recycling program would assist in keeping the costs to the residents down. C/M Hoffman said the State was mandating the Cities and Counties to have a recycling program; therefore, the concern of the tipping fees was needless. Mr. Resnick suggested that the County explore this matter. Mr. Sonnenreich said the public must be educated regarding the recycling program and that they would have to pay more money if they did not comply with the program. He said this meeting was very good and he was concerned for the residents of condominiums because there was a problem in getting a workable recycling program. Mr. Resnick said the residents who have a problem in getting their newspapers picked up should contact him because he would inform them of a person who would pick-up the newspapers. Lou Silverman, Resident of Section 16, suggested that penalties be given for noncompliance. He said the City Codes should be changed for the new developments so that areas could be available for the recycling program. He said the rental areas would find the same problems as the condominiums. He said he would be happy to place any Articles on the recycling matter in the Tam -A -Gram. Irving Polk, Resident of Kings Point, had concerns with the tipping fees being increased. He said he did not hear of the recycling program bringing in revenue. Mayor Abramowitz said this matter has not been discussed because it was being negotiated. He said if the garbage amount was being reduced, the tipping fees would be lower. He said negotiations with the City and Waste Management, Inc., were still taking place. He said when the matter was ready for an Agreement, the residents would be informed. He said the City Council and the City Manager were negotiating in the best interest of the residents. Bernie Simms, Resident of Bermuda Club, had concerns with the private pickup of newspapers. Mayor Abramowitz said the City would create an Ordinance that would prohibit private pickup. He said the State was indicating that if the Cities did not comply with the State Legislation the Cities would not be able to get their revenue sharing. He said this would cause the City to work diligently to see that the program was working. Page 8 12/19/88 1 1 I C/M Hoffman said an anti -scavenger Ordinance would be enacted and Mayor Abramowitz agreed because if the City was not complying with the State's requirement of 30%, there would be problems. Mayor Abramowitz thanked the residents for attending the meeting and giving the City Council their suggestions and sharing their concerns. V/M Stelzer suggested that Waste Management, Inc., submit costs to the City for picking up newspapers and recycling materials from Condominiums. C/M Hoffman thanked the residents for attending and he said he was hoping that a workable program for each condominium could be implemented. C/M Rohr said as the program progressed the solutions to the problems would be found. He said he was looking forward to visiting the different Condominiums and working with the Associations to find a workable recycling program for all of the residents. C/M Bender thanked the residents for attending the meeting and he said he would like to see the Cities work together to defray the costs. Mayor Abramowitz said at a recent Mayors' meeting, the surrounding Cities felt that the matter should be the County's responsibility; however, the City of Tamarac did not feel this way. He said the City was going to do the best they could to have a successful program. He thanked the residents for attending the meeting. With no further business, meeting at 12:00 P.M. CAROL A. EVANS, CITY CLERK Mayor Abramowitz ADJOURNED the RMAN ABRAMOWITZ, MAYO �. "This public document was promulgated at a cost of $125.40 or $20.90 per copy to inform the general public, public officers and employees of recent opinions and considerations of the City Council of the City of Tamarac." Page 9 �,i A( OF TAMARAC Af' ROVED AT MEETING OF City Clerk