PLACEMENT: New Business
TITLE:
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TRASH CANS IN THE CRA AREAS
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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY:executive summary
At the October 24, 2022 meeting, a CRA Board member requested that staff bring back information regarding the installation and maintenance of trash cans in the CRA areas so that the Board may have a discussion on this topic.
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BACKGROUND/RELATED STRATEGIC GOAL:
Capital projects done by the CRA in any of the CRA areas sometimes include in the design of the project, the purchase and placement of trash cans for public use. Below is a quick analysis of the past 10 years of projects relative to the installation of trash cans.
Golden Gate
Camino Trail - Yes
Dixie Highway improvements - No
Golden Gate Building - No
Cassidy Center parking lot - No
Indian street sidewalk - No
Railroad Avenue Commercial Revitalization - No
Bonita, Clayton, Delmar streetscapes - No
Hobe Sound
Bridge Road - No
Banner Lake Improvements - No
AIA Improvements - No
Jensen Beach
Trash Cans replaced on Jensen Beach Blvd and added on Ricou Terrace - 20 total. These are maintained by the Jensen Beach Chamber of Commerce.
Renar - No
Compass Rose Park - Don’t know yet
Cherry/Church/Mango sewer installation - No
Church Street design - No
Old Palm City
Mapp Road - Yes
Ripple - No
Port Salerno
Dixie Highway Streetscape - Yes
Refurbished STAs - No
Salerno Creek Retrofit - No
AIA Binnacle-Anchor Intersection Improvements - No
Civic Center Park and Boardwalk - No
Manatee Park/Commercial Docks and Boardwalk - No
Sewer project - parking, sewer main - No
Park/Seaward - No
Rio
707 Improvements - No
Sidewalks - No
Bioswale - No
There are two departments responsible for trash can maintenance in the county: the Field Operations Division (part of the Public Works Dept.) and the Parks Department. Field Ops is responsible for trash cans within Stormwater Treatment Areas (STAs) and on some streets (e.g., Mapp Road). The Parks Department is responsible for trash cans at the public beaches and in all county parks. Additionally, some local groups (e.g., the Jensen Chamber of Commerce) have elected to assume responsibility for trash cans along certain roads within the county.
The CRA can purchase and install trash cans as part of a capital project or neighborhood enhancement, but it is the ongoing maintenance of trash cans that incurs long-term costs, both administrative and contractual. Field Ops spends approximately $9,000 per year on this endeavor for a total of 40 trash cans emptied once every two weeks. This is the contractual cost and does not include any administrative costs. Emptying trash cans every other week is not optimal in South Florida, where the cans can collect water, provide a breeding ground for mosquitos and other bugs and attract wildlife, including rats.
The Parks Department maintains approximately 600 cans within public beaches and parks and the cost averages $1,000/can/year (depending on how often it needs maintenance), for an estimated total of $600,000 per year. This estimate takes into account labor, replacement and materials. According to Parks Department staff, this activity takes up to 1/3 of the maintenance crew’s time. Trash cans located at beaches and along causeways need to be emptied once per day, while some parks are only once per week. Quite often, these trash cans become full with household trash that people have brought specifically to put in these public cans and many times, on the ground around them. Notably, Parks Department staff have observed that people are not walking around throwing garbage on the street, but what is on the street is there because it blows out of trucks and private garbage cans. Parks Department staff believe that it makes sense to only provide public garbage receptacles on the beaches and near picnic pavilions and concession areas. The Parks Department is currently putting out a Request for Proposal to try and subcontract this activity.
Florida Statutes, Section 163.370 states that CRAs cannot spend increment revenue for “[g]eneral government operating expenses unrelated to the planning and carrying out of a community redevelopment plan”. However, in certain circumstances such as large capital projects or those that will be become parks and/or have concessions (food truck events, weekly events, heavy foot traffic, etc.), increment revenue can be used to purchase and install trash cans. Maintenance, again, needs to be provided by the county or a private entity, who would need to execute an agreement with the county and provide insurance, indemnification, and other provisions.
LEGAL SUFFICIENCY REVIEW:
N/A
RECOMMENDED ACTION:
Discuss and provide direction to staff as necessary.
FISCAL IMPACT:
N/A
DOCUMENT(S) REQUIRING ACTION:
N/A
This document may be reproduced upon request in an alternative format by contacting the County ADA Coordinator (772) 320-3131, the County Administration Office (772) 288-5400, Florida Relay 711, or by completing our accessibility feedback form at www.martin.fl.us/accessibility-feedback <http://www.martin.fl.us/accessibility-feedback>.