10-27-1997 Council Packet - Laserfiche WebLink

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[ request for council action DATE; August 21,1997 ITEM NO: | Department Approval: Name RonMoorse Title City Administrator Administrator Reviewed: Item Description: City Policy Regarding Burning Permits Agenda Section: City Administrator’s Report Attachment: Memo From Mike Gaffron RE: City Policy on Burning Permits At the August 11 City Council meeting, the Council received public comments regarding both the city ’s burning peiimt policy and the availability of a brush disposal site for Orono residents. As the attached memo from Mike Gaffron indicates, the two are related in that both relate to the disposal of brush. The city has had a strict policy regarding brush burning. It is my understanding this strict policy was to be offset by the availability of other brush disposal options. Initially the option provided was a city brush disposal site. However, the amount of brush brought to the site was beyond what could be chipped by city staff. When Hennepin County opened a brush disposal site in Maple Grove, die city began to contract to have the brush hauled to the Coimty site. Because this was a relatively expensive program, the city's brush disposal site was eliminated in favor of Orono residents taking their brush directly to the County site. Since then the city has received numerous requests to reinstate a local brush disposal site. These residents have generally indicated a willingness to pay a fee for this service. Recently, in taking with other cities, staff has become aware of the availability of a contractor with a large tub grinder that grinds the brush into chips at a reasonable cost. These chips can then be made available to residents. Based on comments from residents it appears it would be possible for the city to recover all or a sigmflcant portion of the costs of providing a brush disposal site through fees charged for the use of the site. The most difficult element of providing a disposal site would be to identify a workable site. If the Council is open to pursuing this option, staff would contact adjacent cities regarding a joint brush disposal site. It is staffs recommendation that the city continue its policy of discouraging burning as a way of disposing of brush. It may be necessary to provide a seasonal brush disposal site to provide residents with a more convenient option for brush disposal. COUNCIL ACTION REQUESTED Motion to confirm the city's burning permit policy. .i «