33 replies to this topic

[Folsomite]

Quite interesting... our rates increase, now the city is rolling in money and able to pay for things like a library, add employees to the city roster.

All I gotta say is the service better be pretty friggin' exceptional, considering we are all going to be paying through the nose for it.

[FolsomFats]

Five Star--
What have you found to be the solution of the City furnishing the Prison with FREE sewer services, that we suckers are paying for?

Is the State paying the City for the sewer, and if so, how much per month?

How many months of past due sewer services has the City been paid for, if any?

If we are not getting paid, where is the City Council ? Are they giving the State this service and not getting paid, WHY ?

The City paid a large sum of money to get out of the solid waste, why did we not get an off-set?

It would be easy to plug the line, then the State would howl !!

[FIVE STAR]

I attended last Tuesday's U.A.C. meeting and I asked Ken Payne about the Folsom Prison's sewer bill. He said they were being billed about $ 25,000 per month, but they weren't paying this bill. He said the the City was moving it up the chain of command. I brought this issue up over one year ago. It is amazing to me that the city is such a wimp when it comes to collecting a bill from the state.

Here is the latest on solid waste. Elk Grove just signed a seven year contract with BFI for trash pick-up. The price is $ 16.00 per household. Rancho and Citrus Heights are going out to bid next month. We here in Folsom are at $ 22.50 per household. We have approx 20,000 households here in Folsom. That means that the citizens of Folsom are being over-charged for this service approx $ 1.3 MM per year. Can the City of Foslom do what our neighbors are doing? The answer is no, because the city charter will not allow a private company to bid our solid waste business without a vote of the citizens. We need to drop that paragraph from the current city charter. However, it will take three votes from the city council to make this change and put it on the next ballot for the citizens to vote on. I am having a hard time getting three votes for this because the city council is afraid of the union's reaction. Let me know if you feel this is wrong and the city council needs to do the right thing for all the citizens of Folsom.

[FolsomFats]

I can't really believe that our City Council would allow the State of California to owe us for over a year for sewer services. This means we are paying for the State' sewer bill !

What's this chain of command ?

I guess our council don't care about the citizens, only keep the unions happy !

[Candy Apple]

Will you bring it up again at the CC meeting Tuesday? The library design is supposed to be approved at that meeting so there may be a full agenda.

[Jim Karnis]

Tonight at the City Council meeting under old business we have resolution number 7361. This is to approve the Solid Waste Management Plan. I plan on speaking in opposition to this resolution. Elk Grove signed a contract for about $ 16.00 per household. Citrus Heights and Rancho are both close to signing new contracts for about the same amount. We are at $ 22.50. Competition is good. I say should the City of Folsom be in the solid waste business if a private company can do it better and cheaper?

[camay2327]

We will be there. Go for it....

[clearwater]

If it saves us money then we should outsource this process. Costs internally will only increase with age of the trucks and systems and why keep a city staff on board when the competition can be far more efficient and cheaper.
Be sure if going this route it is a long term contract with no wiggle room for incremental rate increases that would eventually exceed what our system now would have.

[Candy Apple]

Jim----We NEED new blood like yours on the CC.

The taxpaying citizens need you to work to save them money instead of making us pay more for the city to be in the solid waste business. I can't get to many of the CC meetings because of the night driving but I am with you in spirit.

Also, please let us know which proposal you support on the So. of # 50 issue. The facts presented by Bob Fish and Sara make the most sense to me. The city plan as I have read it does not address iimportant facts, just a lot of double talk that says nothing.

Eric and Andy stand alone in supporting the library, as far as I can see, or at least I have seen nothing PUBLICALLY from the other three refuting all the mis-information that is being circulated. We know how Kerri Howell stands, but why do the Mayor and Mr. Starsky stay so silent? Are they afraid of losing votes?

[waterbaby149]

Hey Candy apple
u want to meet one on one to eat your words
u are the one w/misinformation on the library
which is proven every time that flyer is handed out
we get more signatures
thank you very much

[Jim Karnis]

I spoke Tuesday night about the city's solid waste plan. I tried to get the council to look at the big picture! That competition is good. The city's unfunded pension liability is approx $ 40 mm . Adding additional employees makes this situation worse. When we build out in 4 to 5 years these extra costs come back to hurt us. Solid waste will have to add an extra 12 employees when we go to the three can system. Our rate of $ 22.50 will not go down. If the private benchmark is now approx $ 16.00 our citizens are being overcharged about $ 1mm per year. The answer from the council is that the citizens love the service we get now and don't mind paying the extra cost. The vote was 5 to 0 to continue to expand the solid waste program. This will not give the citizens the best service at the lowest possible cost. I will keep trying.

[clearwater]

What have they cited for their base of 'Citizens that are happy" with overpaying ? two old ladies living in assisted care homes ? ( no offense meant to those two or anyone else, except the CC)
Although I have seen WORSE systems with municipal SW programs, Free Market competition certainly has worked to every cities benefit that it is intalled in that I have been in for the last 40 years with RARE exception.
The 3 can system is and will be a debacle with NO incentive to change and use the other two cans, especially where the residents will store them. I Guess I will just store them on the my roof for all to see what a sham this council is in its 'wisdom'.
Time for a change I see in Folsom's CC. they are just out of touch with fiscal responsibility ( I know another oxymoron) and functionall government.

[Steve]

QUOTE (clearwater @ Jul 15 2004, 11:13 AM)

Time for a change I see in Folsom's CC. they are just out of touch with fiscal responsibility ( I know another oxymoron) and functionall government.

Steve Miklos has been on the CC for over 9 years now. It was during his watch during most of these years that the City ignored State Law that addresses the percentage of land that must be zoned for Affordable Housing and yet he won't accept any responsibility for this as a member of the CC. He brags that he won a majority of votes during his last election yet the thousands of votes that he did receive were but a small percentage of actual registered voters in the City. He was simply fortunate that a low number of voters turned out to record their vote.

Miklos wants to build a City Gym as a Memorial to himself. Don't let him do it by letting the entire CC know where you stand. The amount of money that we spend to make up for the deficits on the Aquatic Park, BMX Race Track, Skate Park and soon to be City Gym pales in comparison to the amount that we pay for solid waste pickup.

Where do you stand on these, Jim ... especially the City Gym?

[clearwater]

Explain to me the logic and scope of a City Gym.
Are there others in middle to upper class cities that have been used as examples of their benefit ?

[jagayman]

Jim,
The CC has a good point that Folsom provides many excellent services such as bi-annual neightborhood cleanups, free HazMat collection, MOWER program, etc... What cities with low rates have comparable programs?

Did you know that for $40, the city will drop off a 3 yard dumpster for green waste and pick it up in a week? That's a bargain! Two years ago, I had two trees fall down and the tree removers wanted to charge $500 to cut them up and dispose of them. With a $20 chainsaw rental and the $40 bin, I had it done for $60. It would have cost me $80 just to rent a trailer.

Of course a city will be saddled with pension requirements. Many large companies do. The city is not a company seeking profits, however, and they have no incentive to raise rates because they can (where as all of your private utilities do).

When I call a private utility to get something fixed with billing or change something with my service, I'm on hold. I'm another number to them. When I call the city, I get treated with respect. If I want to speak with someone in person, I can go right down to city hall. However, I have no complaints. They do a wonderful job!

Clearwater, they are talking having an alternating green waste/recyclable pickup. So, you could probably use just store two cans if you are tight on space. Or maybe talk with your neighbor and work something out such that you share cans and keep one apiece. The quoted footprint for three cans was 3'x7'.

I'm guessing the city needs to keep the cans the same size to minimize the number of different trucks they have to maintain.

-jason.