TO: Mayor and Members of City Council
THRU: Adam Lindsay, Assistant City Manager
FROM: Daniel Edwards, Assistant Director of Public Services,
Sheila Thomas-Ambat, PE, CCM, CFM, Director of Public Services
DATE: February 27, 2023
RE:
Title
Solid Waste Ordinance Adoption
end
COUNCIL DISTRICT(S):
Council District(s)
All
b
Relationship To Strategic Plan:
Goal 4: Desirable Place to Live, Work and Recreate
Executive Summary:
Council is asked to adopt the Chapter 22 Solid Waste Ordinance amendments. Council accepted the service level changes to the Solid Waste Ordinance on January 9, 2023. Public Service Solid Waste Division staff and City Attorney's Office reviewed the ordinance and ensured revisions were consistent, predictable, and enforceable.
Background:
On October 4, 2020, SW Division discussed with Council how the Solid Waste Ordinance, service levels, and other considerations regarding municipal Solid Waste collection operations needed revisions. The SW Division emphasized how the City of Fayetteville has endured a steady increase of blight and non-compliant code violations; litter; illegal dumping; and other public nuisances regarding blight and trash. Also highlighted was Chapter 22, Municipal Solid Waste, which has not been updated in several years. The ordinance lacks the definition of clearly defined processes and procedures used by the division. Additionally, the ordinance does not clearly describe customer type, services, and code enforcement. The SW Division recommended that Council allow us to revise Chapter 22 of the Municipal Ordinance and consider substantive changes in a presentation to Council for discussion and approval.
Issues/Analysis:
As a core city service of a city of over 200,000 residents, we are proud of the fact that the weekly collection of solid waste and every other weekly collection of recycling materials is a huge success with very few complaints and uncorrected mistakes. The demands to deliver services, including costs related from human and vehicle capital, continue to rise, as do the challenges to overcome the shortages to find and maintain these two critical resources. In short, more than money is needed to fix the challenges. Expectations must be level set, and we seek to do that through ordinance updates. As staff weighs the perceived interests of the Council regarding Solid Waste we more often hear of the negative experiences. Sometimes, complaints are driven by expectations and practices that are not sustainable when contrasted with the ordinance and peer cities. However, we know how important it is to have policies and practices that enhance and maintain the aesthetics and health and safety of the community. Sometimes, less is more when providing extra services, as some large cities limit or do not even provide limb, bulky, and yard debris.
To provide better service to the residents of Fayetteville, staff changed areas within the ordinance that have been topics of complaint or frustration from citizens. The intent is to align the ordinance based on affordable available resources while providing predictable, consistent, and enforceable services.
MarComm and Solid Waste will begin education efforts by April through June and start strict enforcement in July. Through these education efforts, we will notify residents of upcoming violations sooner to prepare them for the changes.
Budget Impact:
At this time there is no budget impact from these recommended ordinance changes. However, the demands on our service delivery and the cost to provide these services will need to be discussed in greater detail. Policies related to the service levels and the fees to pay for these service levels are not on a sustainable trajectory.
Options:
Staff is seeking consensus from Council for the following:
1. Adopt the Solid Waste Ordinance.
2. Do not adopt the Solid Waste Ordinance and provide further direction to staff.
Recommended Action:
1. Staff recommends that Council adopt the Solid Waste Ordinance.
Attachments:
Solid Waste Ordinance
Solid Waste Ordinance Redline