The City Council voted to hold a public Hearing at the November 2 ,2009 Council meeting to increase the total Keybank lease by $98, 000. The original Keybank lease, for equipment to institute the city’s new recycling program, was approved at the September 8, 2009 council meeting. According to Brian Sullivan, The Municipal Services Director, this would lead to an approximate increase in annual payments of $14,764. However, increase would be offset by revenues collected currently budgeted in the “Demolition” line of the current Fiscal year budget.
My understanding is that the state is implementing a burning ban on un-treated building materials effective January 2011. Franklin currently burns clean construction material, including lumber and pallets at no cost. However, once the states ban takes effect, this material will need to be disposed of along with demolition materials, which are currently hauled by a private entity. Disposal of demolition materials is user based and the revenues collected support expenditures made to operate the program. Sullivan says combining demolition debris and the clean construction material will increase the number of container hauls from an average of ten to fifteen hauls per month. The increased hauling equates to an annual hauling fee of $29,784 per year.
The proposal is to purchase a larger 68,000 pound Gross Vehicle Weight truck along with larger thirty yard roll off containers giving the city the ability to haul construction/demolition debris, as well as its trash. According to Sullivan, instead of paying a private hauler, the fees collected will be more than enough to cover the increase in the lease payment.
Please plan to attend the public hearing on November 2, 2009, if you would like to know more or have any questions.
The council adjourned and there was a legislative committee which met to take up the issue of a possible ordinance to ban fireworks on the lake. Ward 3’s Councilor Annette Anderozzi suggested that perhaps there are some independent sources of how fireworks may affect water quality. Ward 3 Councilor, Gerry LeBlanc posed the question of how other communities with lakes approach the use of fireworks. Ward 2 Councilor, Glenn Feener said if the city decides on an ordinance regarding fireworks, then he will push for a “No fertilizer zone” on property surrounding the lake, even though the state currently has laws regarding shoreline protection. It appears that more information is needed before any action is taken on a proposed ordinance.
There was also a legislative committee to discuss a proposed ordinance regarding to the recycling program. Stay tuned for this because I believe there will be a public hearing coming up on November 2, 2009, but I will need to confirm.
Thanks
Jeff
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4 comments:
The way the Citizen story has the issue regarding the truck, it sounds like an unplanned expenditure. Am I reading this right, or is this something that was put in the budget and they were just voting on it last night?
My understanding is that it was unplanned but this will not increase the operating budget. It will be paid from fees already collected.
Ah, okay. That makes sense.
Having said that...I am not sure that the recycling program in the big picture is not going to increase the city's operating budget in next years budget. I think a councilor might want to chime in here and give us the rundown.
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