City of Saginaw Curb Side Leaf Collection Update 12-10-2012

Leaf Collection Impact of Elimination of Supplemental Leaf Collection Success! I come before you today to update you on the success that we are seeing from the elimination of the supplemental curb side leaf collection within the City of Saginaw, that was implemented beginning this year, fall 2012. As you may recall, I came before council on September 10, 2012 with a recommendation for the elimination of the supplemental curb side leaf collection operation due to our inability to provide these services effectively and efficiently with our current revenues, staffing levels and equipment availability. At that time there were discussions about the services that we currently provide, the services provided by MMWA for bagged leaves and the potential impact of curb side leaf collection elimination. More specifically, the concern was that the citizens would not comply with our request to bag their leaves, twigs, and lawn clippings. I also presented to Council on September 24, 2012 about the financial condition of the rubbish fund and again on October 15, 2012 regarding enforcement and potential curb side violators. I also told you at that time I would report back to you on the results. It is with great pleasure that from what we can tell the City looks better than it ever has as it relates to leaves in the curbs and gutters and streets and that the Public Services Department feels that this was a success!

Leaf Collection Leaf Collection was historically completed in sections of the city. There are 8 sections, 4 east and 4 west, the colors on the map represent these sections. As you can see there is a color to represent the east and west sections that were completed simultaneously. The map is being shown as a representation for the photos you are about to see.

Resident Compliance MMWA Leaf Collection Survey of City Section – 1 West Section – 2 West With the recommendation of eliminating the City’s curb side leaf collection services residents were required to bag leaves or place in an approved container and place them at the curb with their weekly rubbish. This allowed the residents the flexibility to manage their leaf collection when it best suited their needs. It appears that the citizens of Saginaw have have complied with the City Ordinance in all areas of the city. Without the residents participation this would not have been a success. MMWA provides curb side yard waste collection beginning April 1 and ending November 30th of each year. City Streets division crews were asked to conduct a survey of the 8 sections of the city. City crews have reported the city appears to be cleaner with less leaves in the streets, gutters, and right-of-way. In many cases, there are areas that were difficult for leaf collection with the city equipment that are better now than if we would have provided the service. It appears that the only areas that might require additional assistance in the future are vacant properties. Section – 3 West Section – 4 West

Estimated Savings $70,000 Equipment Section – 1 East Section – 2 East Estimated cost savings for labor and equipment repair costs with the elimination of supplemental curb side leaf collection is approximately $70,000. With the decision to eliminate the supplemental curb side leaf collection operations this year we were able to prepare the trucks for winter maintenance operations. In previous years with the dedication of half (6) of the plowing fleet to leaf collection it would have made it very difficult to respond to early snowfalls, such as the snow event the City of Saginaw has the weekend of November 24, 2012. If we had still provided this service, we might not have had our plow fleet ready for this snow event. Section – 3 East Section – 4 East

Complaints & Enforcement Complaint Year Number of Complaints 2010 2 2011 21 2012 1 Chapter 50 – Solid Waste §50.07 Storing of Refuse Chapter 94 – Nuisances; Health & Safety §94.43 Removal of Trash, Abandoned Property, or Building Materials from Street Right-of-Way Violations Issued – 2 The City’s Call Center logs complaints/requests from citizens regarding leaves. In 2010 two (2) calls were logged related to leaf collection, in 2011 twenty-one (21) complaints were logged, and in 2012 only one (1) complaint was logged regarding leaf collection. **Please note this does not include inquiries regarding general collection schedules and rules. Residents often do not comply with not blocking gutters, grates, other drainage facilities, or the street. As explained at the October 15, 2012 Council presentation, it is the residents responsibility to keep fallen leaves out of the street. City ordinance Chapter 50 - Solid Waste, of the City of Saginaw Code of Ordinances states it is a violation of the city's storm water ordinance to rake leaves or other yard debris into the right-of-way (including the street, sidewalk, and gutter) or into a storm drain. Chapter 94 – Removal of Trash, Abandoned Property, or Building Materials from Street Right-of-Way also prohibits the accumulation of trash, which includes leaves from the roadway. We explained at that time that failure to follow the leaf collection schedule and requirements could result in a notice of violation and fines being issued to the property owner. Upon the completion of the leaf collection operation the City has issued 2 violations, but no citations due to non-compliance with leaves. The property owners cited cleaned up their properties on their own.

Moving Forward Continued monitoring of leaf collection operations MMWA Residents I would like to thank the City Council, City manager, City Staff, neighborhood associations and all others for accepting and understanding the need for the elimination of this supplemental service and working with the public to educate them that this service is no longer provided. I would like to thank the residents for working towards removing the leaves from the streets and yards and complying with the City ordinances. Without the combined efforts of everyone this would not have been so successful. I would also like to thank Debbie Buck, the Executive Assistant to the City Manager for her efforts to educate the public on the change in services by utilizing all of the Social Media sites that are now available. Debbie's knowledge of the available social media sites and her passion for educating the public and citizens of Saginaw is unprecedented and greatly appreciated. Moving forward the City will continue to monitor the leaf collection operations on an annual basis. We will continue to educate the residents as to the leaf collection services already provided. We will continue to work with MMWA on the current bagged leaf program offered to coincide with the weekly refuse pickup. We will continue to work with the neighborhood associations and city residents to ensure the best possible outcome to successful leaf collection.

Questions?