TSnews

HAYSVILLE – Haysville residents will have to wait for at least two years before a citywide franchised trash service could begin. And the idea is not a done deal yet.

City attorney Josh Pollak provided the timeline for such a service as set forth in Kansas statutes at Monday’s city council meeting, noting that the process is “a little convoluted.” The first formal step in that process was passing a resolution announcing the city’s intent to consider adopting citywide trash service.

The resolution does not obligate the city to pursue trash service. A 90-day period after passage of the resolution will be used to develop a formal plan for trash service. All residents and current solid waste providers are invited to participate. Meeting notices will be posted on the city’s website: Haysville-ks.com.

The resolution set a public hearing for July 10, during the monthly city council meeting, to discuss a plan. After that would come an updated request for proposals that the council would approve for distribution. Another public hearing would be held to get input from residents about the trash service plan.

At least 30 days after the second public hearing and 180 days after passage of the resolution of intent, the council could enact an ordinance establishing citywide trash service. The new service could not begin for at least 18 months after passage of the ordinance.

Before the council voted on the resolution, it heard from Mark Raccuglia of Air Capital Waste, a current trash hauler. Air Capital stepped in last year to help residential customers of Best Value Services after that company did not fulfill its responsibilities.

“I was very shocked when I heard you were looking at going with a single provider,” he said. “I realized you probably don’t know how it would affect me. This would probably put me out of business in Haysville.”

Raccuglia said there is too much uncertainty in the future of trash disposal sites in the area, most of which are controlled by one company. That is further complicated by the lengthy timeline to move to a single provider.

“We’re growing here, taking a lot of customers,” he said. “I don’t believe I could even bid it. (This) would eliminate the competition.”

The council vote to approve the resolution was 3-3, with members Bob Rardin, Danny Walters and Dale Thompson voting “no.” Janet Parton, Steve Crum and Dan Benner were the “yes” votes. Two council members were absent. Mayor Russ Kessler broke the tie by casting the deciding “yes” vote. He noted that this would still be a long process and the action being taken “just says we’re looking into it.”

The council also approved an ordinance amending section 201 of the city’s code dealing with boundaries for the city’s wards. The updates do not change the wards of any current city council member. The last update to these boundaries was done in 2003. The update better equalizes population among the four wards.

Public works proposed an increase to water tap fees due to the increased cost of materials. Current fees were not keeping up with these higher costs. The old fees ranged from $1,750 to $3,500, depending on water line size. The council approved an ordinance increasing these fees, which are part of article 17 of the city’s code. The new tap fees will range from $2,250 to $4,000. The ordinance also increased planning and zoning fees.

The city’s Sunflower Park, located at 6401 S. Sunnyside in Ward’s 4th Addition, has been vacant since it was annexed in the 1970s. The city maintains it but there is no plan to develop a park there. That area is served by the park at Plagens Carpenter. The council approved beginning the process to sell the property. Staff will advertise the parcel and accept sealed bids, with the final decision made by the council. The sale would put the property back on the tax rolls.

In other business, the council:

• Approved acquisition of a new community development suite of software from Tyler Technologies. The suite includes licensing, permitting and mobile inspections and will integrate with other computer modules implemented last year. There is a one-time fee of $20,720 for the software and an annual recurring fee of $6,525. This is a budgeted item.

• Approved purchase of new strength equipment for the activity center to replace 13 pieces bought in 2015. These are the last remaining pieces of equipment purchased at the old activity center. Cost of the equipment is $51,465 from Mid-States Fitness Equipment. This will be paid by the city sales tax designated for recreation.

• Held a first reading of revisions to the city’s personnel manual.

• Renewed the city’s insurance coverage. The insurance is provided by EMC. The overall annual premium, including increased values and vehicles, increased 13 percent.

Monday’s meeting began with a presentation by VFW Post 6957, which selected Levon C. Crotts as Haysville Police Department Officer of the Year. Crotts also won the honor at the district level of VFW, besting 14 other entrants. He received a plaque and a letter.