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A Committee member asked whether City Staff or the City Council has considered reducing the <br />number of garbage haulers that are licensed to operate in Ramsey, and encouraging them to convert <br />from diesel to natural gas. He noted that Ace Solid Waste has converted to natural gas. <br /> <br />Mr. Gladhill explained many haulers have converted to natural gas in the past few years to improve <br />air quality and reduce emissions and noise. He added he met recently with Republic and Waste <br />Management, two of the largest haulers in the country, and they are committed to upgrading their <br />fleets to compressed natural gas. <br /> <br />Mr. Gladhill stated there are approximately 8 haulers currently licensed to operate in the City, and <br />Ace, Republic and Waste Management have the largest share of accounts. <br /> <br />A Committee member asked if there is any way of reducing the number haulers without <br />eliminating competition. He added it would be beneficial to incentivize residents to use haulers <br />that are based near Ramsey. <br /> <br />Mr. Gladhill stated organized waste collection has been a contentious issue in many metro area <br />cities. He added the issue of organized collection could be evaluated by City Staff if the City <br />Council expressed an interest in doing so. <br /> <br />Mr. Riverblood agreed, adding a review of the City’s waste collection could be included as a goal <br />in the Comprehensive Plan, if there is public interest and support from the City Council. <br /> <br />Mr. Gladhill stated opportunities for consideration of multi-hauler agreements are available to <br />municipalities through establishment of cooperatives and districts, but he agreed it is a contentious <br />process. He added reducing the number of garbage haulers would affect emissions, wear and tear <br />on City roads when road restrictions are in place, and traffic and noise. <br /> <br />Mr. Riverblood stated conservation is an important theme for the City and its residents, so this <br />issue merits further review and discussion. <br /> <br />A Committee member asked how many garbage haulers are licensed to operate in Ramsey, and <br />whether a limit could be placed on the number of licenses that are granted. <br /> <br />Mr. Gladhill stated some cities have limited the number of licenses they grant to garbage haulers, <br />but that requires agreements from haulers regarding costs as well as coordinating routes, dates of <br />service and schedules. He added another strategy is to not issue new hauling licenses. He noted <br />these viable solutions would reduce the overall number of trucks on the streets. <br /> <br />Mr. Gladhill stated if the City Council decides to address this issue, but it can be contentious and <br />would only be review and discussion at this point. He added residents have expressed concern <br />about issues related to water conservation. <br /> <br />2040 Comprehensive Plan Steering Committee / May 8, 2017 <br />Page 3 of 7 <br /> <br /> <br />