Fulton City Council members will revive a discussion of the city's recycling programs during Tuesday evening's meeting.
A work session on the topic begins at 6:30 p.m. at Fulton City Hall (18 E. 4th St.), followed by the regular meeting at 7 p.m. The regular session also includes time to discuss recycling, according to the meeting agenda. Both the work session and regular meeting are open to the public; the latter will be streamed online at fultonmo.org.
During City Council's Sept. 22 meeting, council members discussed a proposal by Fulton assistant director of administration Robert Boone suggesting the city could save around $200,000 by ending the residential recycling, household hazardous waste and yard waste collection programs. (The city is considering partnering with Bluebird Composting to allow residents to drop off yard waste for a small fee.)
The proposal proved unpopular with both Fulton residents — who called council members to register their objections — and the council members themselves.
Boone proposed three alternative cost-saving measures:
Increase the monthly fee to rent a recycling cart to $9.
Cut back household hazardous waste collection days from two times a month to once a month or twice a year.
Relocate the roll-off yard waste containers to the city's warehouse and require proof of residency to drop off yard waste.
City Council members liked the third option — part of what makes the yard waste program so expensive is dumping by non-residents and commercial entities, Boone said. The city's warehouse is under closer supervision than the firehouses and the containers would be behind a lockable gate. They expressed reservations about the latter two suggestions, however, and ultimately agreed to continue the conversation at their next meeting.
Rec center sponsorship
Another major agenda item: A proposed sponsorship deal between the Coca-Cola Company and Fulton's Parks and Recreation department. If Fulton agrees to sell only Coca-Cola beverages at its new recreation center (set to open next year), Tanglewood Golf Course and Oestreich Municipal Pool, Coca-Cola will provide free beverage coolers and sponsor the installation of retractable standards at the recreation center.
According to a memo from P&R director Clay Caswell, the retractable standards — the poles that hold up a volleyball net — were part of the original building design but removed to save money. Caswell said retractable standards reduce the time needed to set up or take down the two volleyball courts from 20 minutes to 2 minutes, making it easier to use the courts for other purposes.
"After visiting other recreation centers, it became very apparent to our staff the retractable volleyball standards were essentially to running the facility as a true multi-purpose facility," he wrote.
The standards will cost $14,064 to purchase and install. Coca-Cola has offered to pay $14,000 upfront, plus $1,000 per year over the next four years. They'll also provide Coca-Cola themed signage somewhere in the rec center.
To fulfill the terms of the 5-year contract, the city must sell 3,425 cases of Coca-Cola products. That's 685 cases per year for five years, or about double the current volume of Coca-Cola products the city sells annually. The contract terminates whenever Fulton finishes selling the 3,425 cases.
Other notable agenda items include:
A quarterly update from the Callaway Chamber of Commerce and renewal of the agreement between the City of Fulton and the Chamber.
Discussion of the proposed 2021 City of Fulton budget.
An ordinance changing the speed limit for Colonial Drive, Herring Drive, Kenswood Drive, Kingswood Drive, Marbrooke Drive and Park Ridge Drive (all in the Herring subdivision) to 25 mph. The subdivision's current speed limit is 30 mph.