Jan 30, 2017 By Luke Campbell 4 min read

Mt. Lebanon commissioners for looking for feedback from township residents to help sort through the variety of options available for changes to its trash collection,

The committee, headlined by assistant manager Ian McMeans, presented the commission with a step-by-step outline at the Jan. 23 discussion session on how to educate residents.

“It’s not a broken system that we need to fix,” McMeans explained. “It’s a system that can be changed or added to in order to provide an even better service.”

The three questions proposed to commissioners to further help the committee in its information-gathering process were to understand what the goal was for the community and the next trash collecting contract, what testimony is needed to cement those decisions and who, ultimately, would want to move forward with a change in the current established collection process.

“This is too big of a change to have someone come in after we approve something and say they want to be heard,” Commissioner Dave Brumfield said regarding the last time the talks were tabled. “We have to do more than we have in the past on this issue.”

The group also includes Rudy Sukal, public works director, Andrew Baram, chairman of the Mt. Lebanon Environmental Sustainability Board, Susan Morgans, public information officer, finance director Andrew McCreery and Bill Matthews, who served on a similar 2014 ad hoc committee about the “Pay As You Throw” program.

About $20,000 was rolled over into this year after being unused in the allocated budget for 2016 to help fund the education process.

“We need a lot of public education,” Commissioner Steve Silverman said. “This is an issue that affects almost every one of our residents.”

That education effort is expected to begin by giving residents a “state of the union” update that will describe what is happening now and the municipality’s current contractual details with SHACOG that expires after 2018. It would be followed with options for the next contract of keeping the trash-collection program the same, add recycling options or the PAYT bag system, deemed most feasible and efficient PAYT system with the topography of Mt. Lebanon.

“There are different ways to educate depending on what the end goal is,” McMeans described.

The final step of the process would consist of garnering resident feedback, which would be more statistically valid and able to moderate through hiring an outside consultant, ultimately giving commissioners guidance on the decision.

“My biggest concern is making sure there is a complete and stark difference between the three options,” Brumfield said. “The way you have it outlined right now is what I want out to the residents. That’s what I want feedback on. I want that picture as clear as possible.”

After educating and listening to public responses, the commission will continue to discuss various proposals before the appropriate deadline in fall 2017. A timely decision would allow it to remain on track if alterations are to be made to bids by the summer of 2018.

• The commission also received final numbers for the approved bond, which is expected to close Feb. 21. The $8.8 million bond will fund expensive projects within the municipality including the public works facility renovations and Mt. Lebanon Recreation Center ice rink floor replacements, which was unanimously awarded to Minnesota Ice in an amount slightly over $1.7 million. The longest part of the process will be defrosting the permafrost, which is at a maximum depth of nine feet. The work is set to begin March 6.

• The community relations board, the Mt. Lebanon Public Library and the Mt. Lebanon Partnership are continuing follow-up efforts to the Unity Rally that brought hundreds out to the Mt. Lebanon Recreation Center Dec. 18. Possible events to further the message are being planned for the upcoming months.