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Moyie Springs city council, May 2 minutes
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June13, 2012 |
City Council met in special session May 2, 2012,
at the Moyie Springs City Hall.
The meeting was called to order by Mayor Doug
Evans. Present were Councilmen Steve Economu,
Chad Farrens, Terry Johnson and Bart Klaus. Due
to a misunderstanding on the time of the
meeting, City Attorney Dan Featherston was not
at the meeting.
Waived the approval of the minutes of the
regular meeting on April 4, 2012.
The following residents attended the meeting:
Gary Forrester, Gary Mohler, Edna Fry, Rick
Utter, Les Vetter, Lois Vetter, Dale Hire,
Jackie Hire, Tyson Ensz, Les Swanson, Darla
Evans, Douglas Reoch, Clara Miller, Stephanie
Tucker, Tia Avery, Jeff Avery, Ken Carpenter,
Joy Carpenter, Brian Woods, Ron Frederickson,
Kevin Frederickson, Carol Robinson, Sunny
Kimball, Kelley Kimball, Beverly Plato, Carol
Pomeroy, Lila Finley, Valerie Surprenant, Sue
Ackerman, Ken English, Adam Michel, Loren
Michel, Francis Horton, Drexel Love, Claine
Skeen, Steve Oxford, Mike Ashby, Linda Ashby,
Carol Mesenbrink, Jim Ball.
The topic of discussion is Mandatory Garbage
pickup.
Mayor Evans said there is garbage on the sides
of the highway from here to town. The Mennonites
picked up garbage last weekend between the
bottom of the Sand Hill and Roosevelt on Moyie,
and I don’t how many garbage bags there are
along the side of the road. That’s due from
everybody from the State Line this way hauling
their garbage in the back of pickups, so we in
Moyie are looking for a change and we want to
see what the people’s opinion is.
Rick Utter said it sounds like a law enforcement
problem to me. If they’ve got garbage blowing
out of their rig that’s littering and an
unsecured load, that’s not the residents of
Moyie’s problem. Jackie Hire said people need to
be more responsible and tie that load down
better. Valarie Surprenant asked if we could
explain better you mean alongside the roads?
Doug said we are looking for household pickup
for garbage like the City of Bonners Ferry.
Valarie asked if Doug meant pickup your yard?
Mayor Evans said no – put a can out for garbage
pickup – household garbage.
Gary Mohler said we can all agree we have a
landfill issue, are they going to do recycling?
Or are we going to compound the problem we
already have. Mayor Evans said we are going to
get into that too. The City of Bonners just took
on recycling. Ron Frederickson explained how it
is going to work.
Les Swanson said he was told the city or the
county is putting a manned site east of the
Moyie Bridge. Doug said we have just recently
been told the same thing. Les Swanson said he
thinks that is going to help with the issue
because people from the State Line to the bridge
are not going to bring garbage. You might get
people from the Sand Hill coming this way, but
he doubts it. Les Swanson said instead of
mandating 650 residents of Moyie to a mandatory
pickup, I think maybe we should look at doing a
mandatory covering your load.
Mayor Evans said it’s not a county law, it’s a
State law.
Les Vetter said back to your statement about
garbage in the ditches, I drive to town to work
every single day, and Bonners Ferry has got
mandatory garbage pickup, but when you go down
the North Hill, it’s just like from here to
Bonners.
Ken Carpenter said he read the minutes of the
last meeting, and it’s worded to say cities must
sign up for garbage pickup. According to the
Statutes I looked at, cities have the power to
do so, but they are not obligated to do that.
Ken said he thinks this new manned site east of
the bridge will make a big difference. I don’t
agree people should have to spend money they
can’t afford to spend. Basically you will have
people that are trashy regardless. Ken said he
thinks we have more of a junk issue around here.
Les Swanson said he thinks the other thing we
should be looking at, is last year my family & I
participated in the city cleanup. Mayor Evans
said wouldn’t it be nice to get this many people
out there? Les Swanson said there was maybe 10
or so people picking up garbage, others picking
up stuff. Les said instead of doing it once a
year, we as a city should do it twice a year.
Les said they collected enough cans that they
were donated to the school. We as a community
should say let’s take care of this issue instead
of the city saying we’re going to mandate you to
pay x amount of money. Mayor Evans said that’s
why we’re having this meeting.
Doug Reoch said he had the garbage truck come to
his house, but he doesn’t want to be told he has
to. Mayor Evans said the council, me especially,
am in favor of it for one reason. I think it
would be a big help in cleaning the City of
Moyie up.
Mayor Evans said you drive around and see a
pickup full of garbage because they don’t want
to take it to the dump every week, every month –
it is an issue in Moyie.
Rick Utter said if we’re paying for it, they
will have to haul it. Joy Carpenter said there
has been a big influx of dogs running wild, and
I think if we start putting our garbage out on
the street, there will be more tipped over cans
and more garbage on the roads than there is now.
Rick Utter said Frederickson’s picked up garbage
on his road today, and when he got home the
garbage cans were in the middle of the street
and everything else – that’s kind of a nuisance.
Sue Ackerman said people are always throwing
things out the car window by her house and she
picks it up. She doesn’t want to pay for other
people’s garbage.
Valarie Surprenant said there are yards that are
trashy, but there are a lot of people who do
pick up their yard. Valarie said it doesn’t seem
reasonable to make people do this. It doesn’t
feel good to be told you have to do this. Is
there any other option besides making people do
this?
Mayor Evans said Claine Skeen is here and he can
give us the heads up with the option on the
other side of the bridge. Mayor Evans said there
are more options, it doesn’t have to be done,
it’s entirely up to the council. That’s why they
were wanting to hear input from the voice of the
city which is you guys. That’s why we put that
in the water bill is to get you guys here. It’s
sad that the only time we can get people here is
if we mandate something on them.
Carol Robinson asked if we aren’t already paying
a landfill fee? She was told yes. Mayor Evans
said the City of Bonners gets a cut on that.
Garry Forrester asked how much is it going to
cost? Ron Frederickson said it will be close to
what Bonners is - $8.25 for garbage pickup and
$3.25 for recycling per month.
Garry Forrester asked if the charge would be in
the water bill, or how is it going to be paid?
Mayor Evans said that was the idea we discussed.
Rick Utter said the other issue there is if
you’re going to contract it has to be put out
for an open bid. Mayor Evans said he doesn’t
think so. Les Swanson said if we’re expecting
them to pay, it’s your responsibility as a
council to do your best to find the lowest
bidder – there’s more than Frederickson out
there. Les Swanson said if they are mandated to
do this, it’s up to the council to get the best
price. By getting several bids, it’s going to be
competition.
Mayor Evans said he agreed. Mayor Evans said we
haven’t picked anybody or send out any bid
forms. We’re getting the general public involved
right now to find out how you feel. We know how
you feel, it’s pretty obvious. Mayor Evans said
he wishes people had this feel for cleanup day.
Every year there’s a notice put in the water
bills for cleanup day – Mayor Evans said he
takes pride in the city.
Valarie Surprenant said she thought, just by the
way it was worded, that everybody is to pick up
their yard. She and her husband went out and
picked up their yard, so maybe there was a
miscommunication. Sunny Kimball asked if the
city has an ordinance for nuisance property?
Mayor Evans said no. Sunny said maybe they
should – mainly trashy yards.
Mayor Evans asked Claine Skeen for information
on the manned site east of the bridge. Claine
Skeen said he’s not here to step on anybody’s
toes. The county has 3 manned sites around the
county plus the landfill. The county charges a
solid waste fee every year. The City of Bonners
residents are about $20.00 lower than county
residents. The people in the City of Moyie are
considered county residents. Claine said the
City of Moyie is a little bit higher than the
City of Bonners Ferry.
A couple years ago the county eliminated all the
unmanned sites throughout Boundary County. Deer
Creek was probably one of the main locations
that Moyie used. There was a lot of illegal
dumping there and that’s the reason we
eliminated that site. Boundary County is under a
small community exemption. We can bury 20T of
garbage per day. Once we exceed that, we lose
that exemption. We’re in the process right now
of putting a monitored site south of the Moyie
Bridge where the State pit is now.
Claine said he already has a permit, and knows
what the cost will be to install power. Right
now we are working on the budget and this site
is in my budget for next year. At that location
you will be able to pretty much throw away
everything other than a dead body or
construction demolition debris.
Claine said he can’t guarantee that site is
going to go in, that’s up to the Boundary County
Commissioners, but through his budget, that will
go in if the budget is passed.
Mayor Evans asked Claine if he will know by
October 1, 2012? Claine said he’d probably know
sooner than that – he’d like to have that site
up and running sooner than October. He has one
person that is a fill-in position – he could put
him out there for probably 3 days a week. His
budget starts in October, then it would be 7
days per week. Steve Economu asked Claine if the
manned site would change our solid waste fee per
year? Claine said he is working on the budget
right now and doesn’t want to raise anybody’s
solid waste fee, and at this time they are close
to not raising the solid waste fee from what
you’re paying now.
Steve Economu said if the fees are raised, it
would be County wide? Claine said yes. Steve
asked if the manned site would change what we’re
paying now? Claine said if it does change, it
will change across the table whether it’s Moyie
or Bonners Ferry, or a county resident.
Les Swanson said the City of Bonners Ferry has a
lower solid waste fee than the county. If we’re
mandated by the city to go to this mandatory
pickup, would we be given the same rate as the
City of Bonners Ferry? Brian Woods, attorney for
Frederickson’s, came to talk to people so they
would get a little better feel for what’s going
on and maybe help some people understand how it
might benefit the city and the residents of the
city, what it might cost and what it is already
costing you whether you recognize it or not.
Frederickson’s have been doing this work in this
county for 40 years and I think universally
people have a warm and fuzzy feeling about them.
I think they do a very good job and I think the
City of Bonners Ferry would tell you that.
They’re professional, they’re insured, they’re
bonded, they have modern equipment and they have
a track record for doing a good service in this
county. They’re part of our community and they
are second generation working in this local
company.
There is a franchise with Frederickson’s in the
City of Moyie, and it’s an older franchise with
Ron’s father. That’s not what we’re here to talk
about. Some of the costs that you’re already
paying, the residents of this city already pay,
whether they think about it or not, there are
already costs that are being paid.
About 60 of the 290 homes in this city are
already persons who are already using
Frederickson’s service, and they’re paying about
$12.00 per month. All those 50 – 60 will see a
dramatic reduction.
Drexel Love said they pay $20.00 per month
because they are the only ones on the road. What
about the others who aren’t – the other 230-240
in the city who aren’t paying for this service?
They are in one of three groups – they’re either
combining interests in the landfill, making
special trips to the landfill with just garbage
or they’re not hauling at all which seems to be
somewhat of a problem, which is why we’re
talking about this. There’s two ways you can
figure what it’s costing those people, you can
either just say it’s costing for the gas, or you
can say with the IRS, if I put a mile on my
vehicle, the IRS says they’re going to reimburse
you a mileage rate. That takes into
consideration insurance, wear and tear on the
vehicle and all those other factors involved in
making a trip. If you start the trip because
you’re combining your trip, going to Bonners to
buy groceries, you’re still going about 2 miles
every time you go to the dump and back it’s a 2
mile round trip.
If you do that, and you do it 2 or 3 times a
month, you’re putting 8.6 miles on your vehicle
and you figure just the gas, you’re going to pay
$2.00-$3.00 per month just for that. If you use
the IRS rate, you’re going to spend $4.77 per
month just for that.
You may not realize it, but you’re paying it.
If you make special trips to the dump, then
you’re going to make a 16 mile round trip every
time you go and if you go 3 or 4 times a month,
you’re going to be paying $13.71 just in gas,
not considering anything else if your rig is
getting 14 MPG. Use the IRS rate, taking into
consideration all those other expenses, you’re
paying about $26.64 per month according to the
IRS. If the county puts in the manned site your
costs would go down, but my point is you’re
already paying something.
The city does not have to put it out to bid,
they can negotiate with one contractor or they
can negotiate with several contractors. Cities
have big, big reasons to make sure the people
they are contracting to provide service to their
residents are actually capable of doing it and
have a long track record of doing it and are not
sort of fly-by-nights kinds of operations. They
have a long, good standing track record and good
reputation. It is true that they can do that,
it’s just that they’re not required, under Idaho
law to do that. Remember, when we’re talking
about these dollar costs, and going back and
forth to wherever you’re going, you’re ignoring
a lot of other costs and I want to make sure you
guys understand all these.
You’re ignoring the time you’re spending doing
this, the wear and tear on your vehicle, spills
in the truck, and garbage spills out of the
truck.
There’s the risk of injury of loading the
garbage into the truck and out of the truck at
the landfill, weather issues in the winter – all
of these are avoided when you go to a curbside
collection system. You also have damages, in the
form of losses, and the loss of your cans – they
blow out the back to or from the landfill, lids
get lost, and then, of course, you have the mud
at the landfill. There are a lot of nonmonetary
convenience factors that are also supportive of
a curbside collection system.
In addition to saving you money there’s a lot of
other significant benefits to the city. I’m not
making this up, this is real stuff.
What of community beautification? If you’re a
single mother, and you’ve got two little kids
running around, and you don’t have good
transportation, and you’re living at the poverty
line, and the big wheel breaks. You’ve got to
get that out of your yard or it’s going to sit
there and the grass is going to grow around it
and it’s not going to make the place look very
nice. It’s a major problem for you, if you’re
living close to the line, to make that happen.
If you’re getting a weekly service, it comes by,
you’re naturally going to be able to take
advantage of that a lot easier than getting it
to the landfill or some other site. You’re going
to have a lot prettier community. You’re going
to help the 50 – 60 people already on the
service because if you just go garbage, their
rates are probably going to go down, and they’ll
probably like that, so there are 50 – 60 people
who would be in favor of it for that reason.
You’d have less pollution on the way to town,
less vehicle traffic on the road and you’re
going to help economic development.
Economic development comes in two forms –
businesses moving in or residents moving in, and
the reality is the baby boomers are retiring and
they’re relocating from higher costs, higher tax
states. You guys think $8.50 is a lot – I’m a
Kansas guy, I tend to think anti, you know,
sorta not bigger government kind of stuff too.
The reality is we live pretty cheaply in these
parts – a lot cheaper than people in other
states live, and they’re looking for lower cost
states to move to. Moyie has the ability because
of the geographic beauty of attracting those
people. If you get a better looking community,
it helps in that, and it helps retain the people
that are already there. Les Swanson said he
understands the benefits. He’s lived in his home
for 5 years. Not once, if these are all the good
benefits, not once has Frederickson ever put a
flyer, never called my home, knocked on my door
to offer their services to me.
Only now are they saying, they go through our
city council or our city council contacted them,
I’m not sure which it is, and then we’re being
told you’ve got to do it and these are all the
good benefits.
If they wanted to do economics, shouldn’t they
have been out drumming up business for
themselves? Instead of 30 maybe they could have
had 80 or 90 people out here in Moyie. Not once
in the 5 years I’ve lived here have I ever been
contacted by Fredericksons.
Brian Woods said that may be and I don’t have
answers to that. I know that Ron & Kevin and his
family are really busy. Ron Frederickson said
it’s more of a privacy issue.
Mayor Evans said from my talk with him, he
doesn’t want to step on anybody’s toes, and
that’s where he’s coming from. Les Swanson said
we should be supporting him – if he wants our
business, maybe he should drum it up instead of
mandating it. Brian Woods said that’s a fair
point and I think that’s what the council will
ultimately decide what direction they want to
go. I’m just trying to point out some of the
benefits to the folks in the city and to the
city itself of possibly looking seriously at it
– it is a positive, at the end of the day, of
doing it.
Could Ron and his family have done better in
business development previously, well sure, but
that’s also just not – he doesn’t like being in
people’s faces and forcing things. Steve Oxford
said they recycle their garbage, is that
something they’re going to do? Brian Woods said
absolutely – they’re willing to do any level of
service that the city feels is appropriate.
They’re prepared to do whatever.
Steve Oxford said he lives in the city limits,
the city doesn’t plow their street because it’s
private, so how are they going to get in and out
of their road? Brian Woods said that’s one of
the reasons why the cost structure needs to be
pretty close to Bonners because Bonners does do
a better job of clearing their streets, they do
a better job of maintaining streets, there’s
more density in the pick ups. In other words,
they stop every 50 – 100 ft. instead of every
mile or 300 yds.
That’s why he wants to be competitive and help
the City of Moyie, but really, probably from a
cost perspective, there’s probably the same or
greater cost of providing the service here than
in the City of Bonners.
Gary Mohler said he can see some of the benefit.
One of the benefits would be if they slowed
their trucks down. Gary said he’s called in
twice and left messages complaining about their
drivers and never got a response. They come
flying through my neighborhood. You can see
where they make the corner, they roll the rocks
from the tandems.
Brian Woods said that’s a good point and if the
city did decide to do this, and that’s up to the
city to decide, the city would enter into a
contract, presumably with the provider, and the
city can say just that. The city can say not
only that, but other things that need to be said
like: you have to have certain liability
insurance, you need to have certain kind of
equipment, your people need to be bonded, all
those regulatory things that need to be a part
of this, should be a part of it and that can be
one of them.
Brian Woods said as a lawyer guy he doesn’t like
hearing that either. Gary Mohler said he can
tell every garbage day because they come up Elk
and turn over to Westwood and they cut the
corner. Sooner or later someone is going to be
coming up there and they’re going to catch them
head on.
Les Vetter said he’s lived in Moyie Springs his
whole life. Les said he had Frederickson’s haul
his garbage and they did an outstanding job for
him. Les said he chose to hire him to come and
pick up his garbage. He had no complaints about
their service, ever. All the things aside you
said about wear & tear on your vehicle, I work
for the county so I know how you get paid for
your mileage and how that works. Les said now he
chose to haul his own garbage. He keeps his
house up. His stuff doesn’t fly out of his
pickup. He chooses to do that on his own.
This is about mandating to us to give
Frederickson’s our work when he can do it
himself, and he chose not to have them do his
work anymore.
Brian Woods said Les is right, and that’s a
philosophical perspective, in other words people
are going to have disagreements over what the
right philosophical result is.
Most larger cities don’t give you a choice,
they’re not going to give you that option. I’m
sure that’s why you choose to live in a smaller
community because right now you have that option
to either have the service or not.
Most cities will tell you that they don’t let
their residents decide you’re not going to have
the service. From a health and sanitation and
beautification and a safety perspective, and the
black plague in the middle ages, that was
because of the failure of sanitation, failure of
garbage service. I’m not suggesting that’s a
problem, but I am suggesting that has been a
huge problem. That’s why every city, of any size
that I’m aware of, in this country, requires all
residents, who are in the city, to subscribe to
some sore of garbage service.
While you’re going a great job, the neighbor
across the street isn’t, and then your home
value suffers from that, you smell it, you have
to look at it, you have to deal with it from a
nuisance perspective. Even though your house is
looking great, the guy across the street
couldn’t care less and is not being responsible.
Les Vetter said he works for the Boundary County
Assessors Office and has for 15 years. Bonners
Ferry is part of his revaluation cycle – every 5
years he does the South Hill – he knocks on
every single door on the South Hill every five
years.
Bonners has mandatory garbage pickup and when he
goes around the neighborhoods in Bonners Ferry,
even though they have mandatory garbage pickup,
you’re going to find the same pigsty houses with
the same pickups full of garbage in the back of
them, just the same as they are right now, and
they have mandatory garbage pickup.
Brian Woods said you will never fix 100% of the
problem until a city gets and chooses to enforce
other regulatory things. Cities pass all sorts
of things and then cities have to decide are we
going to enforce those things that are on our
books. Cities have all kinds of regulatory
police power authority. Having them on the books
and enforcing them are sometimes two entirely
different things, and I don’t think the City of
Moyie, correct me if I’m wrong, have any of
those regulations.
Ken Carpenter said he doesn’t want Moyie Springs
to be a little Bonners Ferry. We are Moyie
Springs – just because Bonners Ferry does
something, whether it works for them or not – it
obviously doesn’t – there are places that are
junky, and there’s always going to be some of
that here. We shouldn’t be penalized for all the
people around Moyie that are getting this stuff
flowing into the ditches, and some of them even
come through Moyie. So don’t try to turn us into
little Bonners Ferry – we’re Moyie Springs and
proud of it. Most of us take pretty darn good
care of our place, and if there’s a problem,
then maybe certain people should be let known to
get their stuff together and start doing
something.
Jeff Avery said you’re not going to be able to
regulate people into being better citizens.
They’re going to choose to or not to and passing
more laws to regulate their lives is not going
to solve the problem.
Brian Woods said at one level he agrees and
another level he doesn’t. Mayor Evans said Brian
Woods is not with the city, he is with
Fredericksons. Brian Woods said he is just
trying to facilitate, to give people different
ideas.
The City of Bonners Ferry does get a break on
their solid waste fees. The City of Moyie, if
they decide to do this, can certainly say we’d
like to negotiate with the county. Brian said
with the changing demographics, in this part of
the world, and the higher density levels we’re
going to see, as the city decides whether to
expand its borders to encompass more property,
he thinks expectations will be higher for the
people that are moving in, maybe your response
is they shouldn’t move in then, but the
expectation levels are higher, and the level of
service is a pretty high level of service for a
reasonable cost.
Edna Fry said why should she want to pay for
mandatory anything? She takes her garbage in 4
time a year. Edna said she doesn’t make garbage,
she recycles. Edna said she doesn’t want a
monthly bill because she takes her garbage only
4 times a year – and her car gets 27 MPG.
Rick Utter said the sales pitch is great and
they do provide an excellent service for the
people that want it. Rick said he hasn’t ever
heard complaints about them. Rick said he has
followed their truck to the landfill, from
Moyie, and has seen garbage blowing out. That
could happen with anybody’s rig, but you’re
asking us to pay a fee for something not all of
us need. Those who need it or want it are
welcome to hire them. Rick said he has 2 bags of
garbage per month because he recycles and sorts.
Why should he pay a monthly fee for 2 bags of
garbage when he goes to town to buy groceries –
yes, it’s 2 miles into the landfill but that’s
still less than that monthly fee is going to
cost him.
Brian Woods said on the whole, I don’t use it so
I don’t want to pay it. Every city and county
and any governmental agency always faces
arguments just like that based on those kinds of
factors. Brian said personally he doesn’t drive
to Canada but twice a year. He doesn’t always
drive on those roads, but he still has to pay
for them.
Lila Finley said that’s what they’re saying –
they have to pay for all of that and they don’t
want another thing they have to pay for. Brian
Woods said that’s for this group and this group
to figure out.
Claine Skeen said with that solid waste fee we
pay to the county, you can come in and dispose
of anything at that one solid waste fee per year
– 350 days a year.
Rick Utter said his question, as a citizen of
Moyie, does that fee include also wood debris,
metal debris, etc., or is that going to be
another additional cost, above and beyond the
existing cost of garbage and recycled material.
You’re still going to have to haul your wood
debris, your metal debris, etc. Rick Utter said
here again, he’s heard it before, either you can
provide the service, Bonners Ferry Garbage will
provide that service, at an additional cost or
are you going to be in the same boat you’re in
tonight and haul it to the landfill?
Brian Woods said he will respond to that on
several levels. One – you can put garbage and
wood in your receptacle and it will be hauled to
the landfill, but then, what happens is the
county pushes back, and Claine knows this like
everybody else, the county pushes back and says
to the City of Bonners Ferry, well that’s
contributing towards our 20 ton so please don’t
put it in with your garbage. That’s a county
request that you not put your lawn cuttings and
wood, etc. in with the regular garbage. You
recycle that or do something else with that –
that’s coming from the county.
That wouldn’t necessarily be coming from the
City of Moyie. Fredericksons for years and
years, since 1968 picked up yard waste every
year in the City of Bonners Ferry without a
complaint or additional cost. They did that and
would have continued to do that, and then the
county talked to the City of Bonners Ferry and
said they didn’t think that was such a good idea
anymore because they were pushing up against the
20 ton limit per day.
If there’s a regulatory prohibition on that,
that would probably be coming from the county
commissioners to the City of Moyie.
Frederickson’s would be willing to do it and I’m
sure the City of Moyie would be willing to do
it, the questions is whether or not the county
would permit it. Rick Utter said if you take it
to the landfill, your have to separate it. Brian
Woods said that’s when you take it. Rick Utter
said if they pick it up it should be separated.
Brian Woods said no, the answer is no.
Rick Utter said then why should we pay for a
service that doesn’t help us?
Brian Woods said it does. Right now the City of
Moyie can say you can put your grass clippings
and everything else in with the garbage. Rick
Utter said then they would be filling up the
landfill and that’s not the idea.
Mayor Evans said we’ve discussed that, we’re
kind of getting the hint about what everybody
here in the room wants. Is there anybody else
that has anything else to add?
Doug Reoch said he thinks the issue about the
yard clippings – there’s things you can’t leave
by your garbage cans for Fredericksons to haul.
Partly, they don’t have time, partly some of it
is too much for them to move. Sometimes you can
load up a pickup to haul to the landfill and you
have 3 guys helping you.
Mayor Evans said he entirely understands what
Claine is saying. In Claine’s aspect he looking
at a 20 ton limit and Fredericksons will haul it
if you put it in 2 cans you will haul it, right?
Ron Frederickson said yes, if it’s under 60 lbs.
and it’s 3 cans.
Rick Utter asked Claine Skeen wood and grass
clippings don’t count as part of the 20 tons per
day, right because they are recycled and sent
out? Claine Skeen said right.
Mayor Evans said when you go to the dump, if
Fredericksons go to the dump, if that counted?
Claine Skeen said whatever is in the truck goes
in the landfill.
Ken Carpenter said which means eventually we all
pay a bunch more when that landfill gets full.
Sue Ackerman said doesn’t it bother you that
those who have garbage service don’t recycle at
all?
Mayor Evans said he thinks that’s why Bonners
Ferry went to the recycling program. Claine
Skeen said the recycling program is a voluntary
program. We all need to look in this room, he
doesn’t want to be a garbage cop. At the same
turn around, this community, twenty years ago,
got that small community exemption. You’re
paying $100, $98 if you live in the City of
Bonners Ferry. He’s sure Ron has done numbers,
he’s done numbers – it will double, if not
triple your solid waste fee once we start
shipping this out of Boundary County.
Claine Skeen said he’s not picking on anybody
here, but whatever happens will affect Boundary
County. Mayor Evans said if the dump ever closes
down, it’s going to take, at present time what’s
it going to take, Claine? Claine Skeen said $1.8
million. Mayor Evans asked how much the county
has? Claine Skeen said $800,000 plus. Mayor
Evans said if that’s 10 years from now, that
will probably be 3 times that much, right? Ken
English asked Claine if he happens to know what
it costs Bonner County to haul to their
landfill? Claine Skeen said $45.00/ton 2 years
ago.
Mayor Evans said so that’s if the landfill ever
closes down, we’ll have to pay to haul it off?
Claine Skeen said we can either transfer it out
or go into a lined landfill. Claine Skeen said
the reason he’s here is the recycling program is
a voluntary program. Bonners Ferry Garbage has
been an excellent company, we work very well
together as a county and a private hauler.
Claine said his job is to make sure this
landfill stays open as long as possible,
whatever needs to be done, needs to be done.
Mayor Evans asked if the council had any
questions for anybody? Does the crowd have
anymore?
Francis Horton asked Mayor Evans if he could
repeat why he supports this?
Mayor Evans said because he thinks it would make
the city a lot cleaner.
Valarie Surprenant said she can’t help but
wonder, the majority of them keep their yard
clean, pick up our trash and haul it. Would
mandating this actually make the people who have
trash in their yards and are not keeping up
their yards, is it really going to make those
people say – hey, let’s pick up our yard today?
They haven’t for the last year and a half –
let’s do it because we have garbage cans.
Jimmy Ball said the way the county or the City
of Bonners currently bills, they’re billing the
landowners on the water bills, and they’re going
to add the garbage onto the water bills. Jimmy
said he probably has 40 water bills in the City
of Moyie. That’s how many houses he will be
responsible for paying the garbage on. Every
other municipality, in the county, including the
City of Bonners Ferry, the tenants get the bills
directly. If the landlords get the bills, the
tenants are the problem, as far as picking up
their yards, he doesn’t see how that’s going to
make the tenants do anything when he is the one
getting the bills and paying it regardless of
their responsibility level.
Mayor Evans told Jimmy that would be up to him
to enforce. Jimmy Ball said that’s the truth,
and that would be…..what he’s going to do is
just check how that all works, how he gets
forwarded all those bills. Jimmy said he doesn’t
have the time or money to enforce something like
that. He said he’ll be forced to pay the bill,
but he’s not going to go out and give people
garbage cans and tell people to put their
garbage out. If he was going to do that, he
would just go out there and do that then he
would get the money and he would haul the
garbage to the dump – then he would get paid.
Brian Woods said he would like to make one
additional point, if the city decides to do a
mandatory service, they can put in place
whatever other regulatory requirements or
ordinance. In fact, we’ve talked about, and
already provided, a draft of an ordinance for
their consideration. You can add to that
whatever regulatory things you would want to
have.
The city would have the ability to send that
notice out to a resident to say your yard needs
to be cleaned up by such and such a date. Since
they have the service and are already paying for
the garbage service, whether or not they’re
using it, to that point or not, the city would
additional regulatory tools to send an easy
letter out and say to that resident you either
do this by this date, or either the city will
come by and pick up your yard for you, and send
you an even bigger bill, or we’ll fine you.
Cities and do, and do do, all kinds of things to
get compliance with what they want to see to
beautify the community.
For those people who are already taking good
care of their yard, great. Ken Carpenter said
the city can do this without mandating our
garbage pickup. Brian Woods said Ken is exactly
right, the city can do that too.
Francis Horner said why don’t we do that first
before implementing this big city wide project?
Jimmy Ball said if they do that, that’s an
overall burden, just like animal control –
they’re taking on the burden of enforcement at
that point. Brian Woods said that’s right, and
then the question becomes a balancing act
between the property owners who are taking care
of their property and see their property values
diminish, and their ability to sell and their
ability to take pride in their community
diminished because of the unsightly ones. Jimmy
Ball said all of his houses are currently
rented, brought in revenue, I’m paying more and
more water bills all the time, all of my houses
are tax paying – this community is growing. It’s
growing in a good way, all his stuff he tries to
keep hammered out and he works well with the
city.
Brian Woods said your point is exactly the point
I want to make. Jimmy Ball said if there needs
to be enforcement it doesn’t need to mandatory,
he can simply take requests and he’ll go out
there and handle his tenants.
Valarie Surprenant asked if that’s something
they can do – the city going out and requesting
the people clean up their yard? That’s something
that can be cone now? Mayor Evans said we can
draft more ordinances, just like this one.
Valarie Surprenant asked if it would be
something that would have to be drafted, it’s
not in place right now?
Carol Robinson if the city passes a clean up
ordinance the city would have to hire somebody
else to enforce it because Sandy, Ken and John
don’t have time to do that. Mayor Evans said
that’s exactly true. Carol Robinson said we’d
have another employee, another set of insurance,
another withholding, the whole business. Mayor
Evans said bigger burdens. Carol Robinson said
we need to police ourselves, and talk to your
neighbor if you don’t like the way his yard
looks and offer to help them. In her
neighborhood that would work because they do
work together. Why don’t you try to get a block
party – that sort of thing. Mayor Evans said
we’ve had one for the last five years.
Jimmy Ball said the person on Division St., the
guy that has the stuff all over his yard, is the
worst looking house in Moyie Springs, bar none.
That guy is not going to change anything, the
junk cars out in back, the campers, a mobile
home that’s falling in half back there. This
thing is not what Moyie needs. If anything we
need more employees to enforce the law that
probably already exists in an ordinance. Jimmy
said he would work with the city – he owns a ton
of houses here. He told the council if they give
him orders he will follow them to the tee
because he appreciates us. He doesn’t need to be
forced to pay thousands of dollars – it is a
burden to him to have an expanded government. He
can barely afford to stay in business as it is.
Mayor Evans asked if there are any more
comments? Joy Carpenter said many of those here
tonight do recycle and take care of their yards.
She has nothing against Frederickson’s – they
picked up her garbage at one time and it wasn’t
their problem that she couldn’t remember it was
Wednesday. She thinks mandating it, Ken will
still have to take it to the dump because she
can’t remember it’s Wednesday, and then as far
as recycling, there’s an extra charge. Mayor
Evans asked if there are anymore comments?
Hearing none, we can call this meeting concluded
and he appreciates everybody coming. He would
like everybody to know there is a cleanup day
notice in your water bill every year, and we’d
enjoy seeing this many people come to cook
hamburgers and hot dogs when we get done
working. We’ve cleaned up about 100 cars, in the
last five years, in the City of Moyie.
Sunny Kimball asked when the decision on
mandatory garbage pickup will be made? Mayor
Evans said at the next regular meeting, next
week – May 9th. Tyson Ensz asked if this comes
up for a bid, can he be notified? Mayor Evans
said yes. Mr. Ensz was told if you work for a
government entity, you have to be insured. A
motion was made by Steve Economu and seconded by
Bart Klaus to adjourn.
Motion carried. |
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