Town Council Meeting Notes, Flood Control Planning, Newsletter List

Town Council Meeting Notes
Green Waste – At the June 25 meeting, the Town Council revisited the issue of green waste disposal.  Marin Sanitary has proposed to continue with the weekly pickup of 224 gallons of green waste, but has asked to amend the Town’s contract to provide that customers who want to utilize the full amount of green waste request additional green carts for a rental fee, currently set at $1.78/month.  Customers could request an additional three green carts, to get up to and actually exceed, the current 224 gallons.  
A number of community concerns have been expressed about this proposal, including the size and weight of the green carts, storage space for the carts, the unexpected additional expense, recent rate increases and the aesthetics of garbage receptacles left on the street.
In reconsidering the issue, the Council expressed concern for the injured workers, while trying to balance that with the needs of the community.  At the end of the discussion, Council decided to ask Marin Sanitary to work with Town staff to put together a public information campaign on the issue and ask for voluntary compliance from customers, meaning that customers who have large amounts of green waste are encouraged to:
• Contact Marin Sanitary about renting additional green carts to avoid contributing to worker injuries.• Be conscientious about overloading personal cans so as to make them too heavy to comfortably lift.• Recognize the problem when cans that are too heavy for workers to lift are unable to be picked up.
The Council will review the results of the voluntary program in six months.  If you have questions or comments, please contact Debra Stutsman at 258-4652 or dstutsman@townofsananselmo.org. 
Community Survey – The Town has worked diligently to manage your tax dollars properly, but we face ongoing challenges providing the level of service the community wants and needs.   
Key essential community service needs and priorities include:
• Repairing deteriorating streets, roads and potholes before costs increase in the future. • Improving sidewalks and street drainage.• Reducing the risk of flooding.• Maintaining street medians.• Maintaining and improving public facilities.Unfortunately, funding is needed to address these priorities. Like cities throughout California, additional resources are needed to address deteriorating streets, roads and infrastructure.
To address these challenges, the Town recently commissioned a community survey to obtain residents’ views about community needs and service priorities. The survey found that San Anselmo residents are interested in a local revenue measure to address essential community service needs and priorities.  Sixty-five percent (65%) of respondents indicated an inclination to support a potential local funding measure on the November 2013 ballot. The actual survey and key findings can be found on our website at: http://www.townofsananselmo.org/index.aspx?nid=707. 

Reminder about Flood Control Planning Updates
There are two opportunities coming up to hear more about flood control planning that is underway in the Ross Valley:
• At the regular Town Council meeting of Tuesday, July 9, beginning at 7 p.m. in the Town Council Chambers,  there will be a presentation on the flood project planning, followed by time for the public to ask questions and give comments.
• Learn more about ongoing Ross Valley Watershed flood control efforts and detention basins at Drake High School in the Student Union, 1327 Sir Francis Drake Blvd. on Saturday, July 13, from 10 a.m. to noon.  Copies of the 2011/12 Annual Report will be available at the meeting and are also available online at www.marinwatersheds.org.   

Newsletter List – Your Help is Needed
One of the greatest challenges in local government is communicating with our constituency.  The Town newsletter is proving to be a valuable way to keep the residents and merchants of San Anselmo apprised of what is going on in Town. 
In order to broaden the base of the newsletter listing, a reader has suggested that I ask each of you to mention the newsletter to San Anselmo friends and suggest that they sign up to receive the newsletter electronically.  Signing up is easy.  Just send an email to ckacmar@townofsananselmo.org.     
Thanks for your help.


San Anselmo News, published weekly on Fridays, is available at the San Anselmo Town Hall, Library, on the Public Notice Bulletin Board. It is also available on the Town’s website, www.townofsananselmo.org, and by email subscription.