TO: HONORABLE MAYOR AND MEMBERS OF THE CITY COUNCIL

FROM: DIRECTOR OF PUBLIC WORKS

DATE: MAY 16, 2006

SUBJECT: REVIEW RESULTS OF WESTSIDE PILOT AREA SURVEY

Staff Coordinator: Lauren Ramezani, Sr. Administrative Analyst

RECOMMENDATION

Review the results of the Westside pilot area survey proposing trash and recycling day changes, and direct staff to take needed action.

BACKGROUND

There are two streets, Browndeer Lane and Elkridge Drive, in the Westside pilot area with lots both in RPV and RHE. Waste Management services both cities in that area, on different days, but with the same automated trucks and similar trash and recycling carts. The RPV side is serviced on Tuesday/Friday, and RHE side is serviced on Wednesday. Seven trucks pass through (2 on Tuesday for RPV, 3 on Wednesday for RHE, and 2 on Friday for RPV). Therefore, trucks are in the area 3 days a week, and the border streets have containers/carts at the curb for several days at a time.

DISCUSSION

On February 7, 2006, the City Council directed staff to send out surveys to the residents of seven streets in the Westside pilot automated trash and recycling program area. The streets were: Browndeer and Elkridge (the two border streets), and the connecting streets of Littlewood, Larchbluff, Elmbridge, Lone Valley and Oaklon.

The survey proposed collection day changes to residents of those streets. It asked those residents if they would agree to change their current Tuesday/Friday collection to a Wednesday/Saturday collection. Additionally, it proposed having 3 pickups (Trash, recycling and green waste) on Wednesday, and only trash on Friday. That would make the Wednesday collection between the RPV and RHE homes similar. The rest of the Westside area was to remain on a Tuesday/Friday schedule.
See proposed changes below:

SUGGESTED SCHEDULE CHANGES

City Current Schedule Proposed Schedule
RPV Tuesday- Trash & Recycling
Friday- Trash & Green Waste Wed- Trash & Recycling & Green Waste
Saturday- Trash only
RHE Wed- Trash & Recycling & Green waste No change

On March 16, 2006, 173 surveys were mailed out (copy attached). The City provided prepaid return envelopes to facilitate responses. To date the City received 121 responses (or a 69% response rate). From the total received 66 agreed to the proposed collection date change and 55 did not agree, with one resident agreeing to both options. The responses represent a 55% to 45% split.

Listed below is a breakdown by street:
A) Two Border Streets
Street Yes, Change
# No, Don’t Change
# Total Response
# Total # of RPV Homes on Street Yes, Change
% No, Don’t Change
% Total Homes Response %
Browndeer 30 16 46 61 65% 35% 75%
Elkridge 15 6 21 31 71% 29% 67%
Subtotal 45 22 67 92 67% 33% 72%

B) Five Adjacent Streets
Street Yes, Change
# No, Don’t Change
# Total Response
# Total # of RPV Homes on Street Yes, Change
% No, Don’t Change
% Total Homes Response %
Elmbridge 8 14 22 32 36% 64% 68%
Larchbluff 7 9 16 24 43% 57% 66%
Littlewood 0 6 6 7 0% 100% 85%
Lone Valley 4 3 7 12 57% 43% 58%
Oaklon 2 1 3 6 67% 23% 50%
Subtotal 21 33 54 81 38% 61% 66%

TOTAL 66 55 121 173 54% 46% 69%

As the survey results show, the majority (67%) of the two border streets (Browndeer and Elkridge) would agree to a change. However, the majority (61%) of the adjacent streets do not agree to a change.

Resident Comments: Some residents wrote comments on their returned surveys. (See attached). They are summarized in the following:
Yes, change:
 They liked the proposed change because there would be less truck traffic.
 They liked the proposed change because containers would be out at the curb fewer days.

No, do not change:
 They did not like the proposed change because they did not want collection on Saturday. They did not want trash trucks or carts on the streets on Saturday. They wanted the streets quite and without trucks, the curb area empty of carts, and the streets safer for kids playing in the area.
 They preferred Friday collection to Saturday, or suggested having no second trash pickup.
 They did not like having their trash days changed because of only two streets.
 They did not like having all 3 collections in one day because that would result in too many carts on the street/curbside. They were concerned about lack of curb space in some areas.
 Finally, they were questioning why the two RHE streets were not changing to one of RPV days, since RPV represented the larger number of homes on those streets.

ALTERNATIVE

The City could propose a change in collection days to Wednesday/Saturday or Wednesday/Friday on only the two border streets of Browndeer and Elkridge. Those streets are impacted the most, and the majority of the respondents from those two streets were agreeable to the change.

CONCLUSION

Staff requests the City Council review and consider the responses to the survey, and determine if any change/action should be pursued.

FISCAL IMPACT

There is no fiscal impact if collection days do not change.

Respectfully submitted:

Ray Holland
Interim Director of Public Works

Reviewed by:

Les Evans
City Manager

Attachments: Survey Comments and copy of letter/survey