COUNCIL LIFTS $5 FEE FOR TREE COLLECTIONS

Many Cape Girardeau citizens irate over recent changes in the city's solid waste service evidently will be pleased they won't have to endure a $5 fee for collection of discarded Christmas trees after the holidays.

The Cape Girardeau City Council Monday nixed a plan to charge $5 for collection of discarded Christmas trees. The council voted to provide the service free, provided residents call in tree-collection requests.

In January, the trees no longer will be allowed in Missouri landfills, thanks to a solid waste law passed last year that aims to decrease by 40 percent the amount of waste deposited in landfills by 1998.

Officials said Monday the city will include the trees in its composting and recycling program, but wanted to assess the $5 "special pickup" fee to try to recoup some of the costs of the program.

But Councilman Al Spradling III said he thought residents here have already been bombarded with too many solid waste changes this year to suffer another fee increase.

"We're hitting people over the head with another fee," he said. "We're catching a lot of flak for our collection fees, and I think we could avoid a lot of problems by waiving the $5 fee for this year.

"I don't think the general public's ready for another fee."

After the meeting, Spradling said residents have had enough solid waste changes thrust at them this year without additional cause for dismay.

"We're having enough criticism for the solid waste program as it is," he said. "I don't think we need to further that."

City Councilman David Barklage said that the city should do more to inform the public that the solid waste changes and the city's recycling program are in response to state mandates that are beyond the city's control.

He questioned Public Works Director Doug Leslie about one of the complaints he's heard: that the city is profiting from the sale of recyclable materials it collects from residents through the new citywide recycling program.

Leslie said that out of a $120,000 solid waste budget, about $50,000 to $60,000 is reimbursed through sale of recyclables.

He said that when the savings derived from less landfill deposits are included with the sale of recyclables, the city still must subsidize about 40 percent of its solid waste operations.

Leslie said that through department efficiency measures implemented this year, the city has been able to offset increased landfill charges and the higher cost of recycling.

He said that although one of the city's two weekly trash collections has been replaced with a single recycling collection each week, the cost of the recycling service exceeds trash-collection costs.

Assistant City Manager Al Stoverink said the increased costs likely will lead to future fee increases. "Realistically, you can expect a small rate increase in the budget this spring," he said.

Barklage also questioned Leslie and Doug Kaminskey, the city's environmental services coordinator, about the recycling program's success.

Kaminskey said the city already has reduced by about 12 percent the amount of residential trash that's going to the landfill.

He said about 30 percent of the city's residents participate in the recycling program each week, which compares to an average of 35 percent monthly participation nationwide.

"I think we're doing excellent," he said. "I think the public response has been great and we're making some progress."

In other business Monday, the council approved:

Laws changing the zoning of a 24-acre tract of property along Bloomfield Road west of the city and annexing the tract into the city. A local developer has planned a subdivision of duplexes on the property.

A proposal for a new access road to the city's solid waste transfer station adjacent to the Lone Star Industries cement plant along South Sprigg Street.

20A law authorizing the issuance of $2.5 million in sewer system revenue bonds for the Upper Cape LaCroix/San Dangaro Trunk Sewer project.

20A resolution authorizing an agreement with the Cape River Heritage Museum for use of the former fire station at the corner of Frederick and Independence.

Acceptance of street and storm sewer improvements for the construction of Abbey Road and street and sanitary sewer improvements and the storm sewers in the street right-of-way for Woodland Place Subdivision No. 6.

Appointment of Bill Yuede to the Vision 2000 Community Relations Council.