Minutes January 27, 2004CITY OF DENTON CITY COUNCIL MINUTES
January 27, 2004
After determining that a quorum was preseN, the City Council of the City of DeNon, Texas
convened in a Work Session on Tuesday, January 27, 2004 at 11:00 a.m. in the Training Room at
the City of DeNon Solid Waste Facility, 1527 South Mayhill.
PRESENT:
Mayor Brock; Mayor Pro Tem Burroughs; Council Members Kamp, McNeill, and
Montgomery.
ABSENT: Council Members Thomson and Redmon
1. The Council received a report, held a discussion and gave staff direction regarding solid
waste policies and procedures.
Charles Fiedler, Director of Engineering, outlined information regarding a landfill gas and
biodiesel project. Challenges for the project included environmeNal compliance of landfill gas
coNrol, new source performance standards, and engineering guidelines. Other challenges
included the Clean Air Act amendmeNs that established air quality standards and the Energy
Policy Act of 1992 that mandated alternative fueled vehicles with a 2007 compliance date. The
cost of compliance included landfill costs and the costs for an initial collection system and
vehicles. CurreN challenges for the landfill gas proposal included a limited landfill gas supply,
no economical beneficial use for the gas, the cost to collect and flare the gas, the resource was
currently wasted as it was not used and the contribution to the air quality non-attainment. Fiedler
preseNed the landfill gas opportunity in which the firm, DTE, would work with the city in an
alternative approach, present a potential income to pay for the control of the gas, and the city
would install a collection system. The proposal would include the negotiation of a gas rights
agreemeN, DTE would ideNify LFG customers, the securing of a gas sales agreemeN, design
operate and maintain the LFG system, and the city would construct and permit the initial system.
Fiedler also outlined a biodiesel production opportunity that utilized recycled cooking oil. The
project could possibly be a local production of an alternative fuel and would guaraNee a fuel
price for five years. The benefits of the biodiesel proposal included the fact that it would meet
the alternative fuel requiremeNs, decrease air emissions, improve engine operation and life,
provide a fuel price stability, provide for cooking oil recycling and reduce sewer clogs from
grease. The proposal included an equipmeN purchase agreemeN with a lease-back provision in
the agreement, a local entity would be formed with the company that would own and operate the
plaN, the city would be represeNed on the board of directors and a commitmeN for a city
biodiesel purchase and provide a land lease. Risks associated with the project included raw
material availability, the fact that used cooking oil was a commodity with competing uses that
resulted in value, curreN market competitors collecting the oil in the area and the soybean oil
alternative. Community benefits included air emission reductions, a good example to the region,
the establishment of a cost effective alternative and an environmentally friendly solution. Fiedler
presented a cost comparison between the mandated conversion and the biodiesel proposal.
Council discussion included the economics of the two proposals, the example it would set for the
region, the benefits it would provide to city departmeNs and the community as a whole; and the
permits required.
Fiedler stated that the proposal had been presented to the Public Utilities Board on two separate
occasions and a recommendation from the Board should be coming soon for Council
consideration.
City of Demon City Council Minutes
January 27, 2004
Page 2
Consensus of Council was to proceed with the proposals and a recommendation from the Public
Utilities Board.
Vance Kemler, Director of Solid Waste, presented information on the commercial refuse service.
He stated that the city had front, side roll-off compactors, carts and hand collection services
available to residents. He stated that container location issues had been addressed in the recent
attractiveness white paper. It was felt that containers visible from the street detracted from a
property's appearance as well as those in the right-of-way and in from of buildings. He listed
container relocation options that included new construction would continue to follow the
development code requirements; existing commercial containers relocation; priorities would
include the remove of containers currently in the streets, the removal of containers from street
right-of-ways, the removal of containers from the front of properties or require screening; and
the remove of containers on the sides of properties or require screening.
Shirleen Sitton, Recycling Manager, presemed information regarding solid waste services and
future alternatives. She suggested that getting rid of the containers downtown might be a way to
get recycling going in the dowmown area. There had been a discussion about getting rid of
containers and giving businesses a 96-gallon cart but it was felt that a 96-gallon cart would not
be big enough for the majority of businesses. The currem refuse residemial collection services
offered by the City included a bagged service at twice per week collection; cart service at once
per week collection, a Pay-As-You-Throw (PAYT) volume based rate structure, once per week
yard waste collection and once per week recycling curbside cart service collection. With pay-as-
you-throw service the customer had control over his solid waste cost, as his cost would be based
on the waste he generated. There were five major collection systems: a variable can program, a
bag program, a sticker or tag program, a hybrid program and a weight-based program.
Sitton presented community wide service options. She stated that automated collection service
was not the system of choice for the emire community. A hybrid program utilizing cart and bags
was more appropriate. The older areas of the community could remain on a bag service under a
PAYT program. Newcomers could be converted to cart collection by side load or rear load
vehicles. All refuse collections would be converted to once per week service. Once per week
collection service reduced air pollution due to less running of refuse trucks that would realize
fuel savings.
Sitton reviewed the Wind River Pilot Project and the results of the survey taken from the Wind
River residems. A large majority of the residems preferred trash carts once they had tried them.
Recommendations from the survey included the implementation of a cart-based pay-as-you-
throw trash pricing structure; continue to place carts in new subdivisions, rural and annexed
areas; implement cart service in existing neighborhoods with varying collection methods where
appropriate; reduce trash collection to once per week and implement the proposed changes in
phases accompanied by a thorough public information campaign.
2. The Council held a discussion and gave staff direction regarding the need, purpose, and
time frame for the creation of an ad hoc committee to explore a Council ethics policy.
Council discussed forming an ad hoc committee. General consensus was that Council Member
Kamp and Thomson would serve on the committee.
City of Demon City Council Minutes
January 27, 2004
Page 3
With no further business, the meeting was adjourned at 2:00 p.m.
EULINE BROCK
MAYOR
CITY OF DENTON, TEXAS
JENNIFER WALTERS
CITY SECRETARY
CITY OF DENTON, TEXAS