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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMINUTES - 09231986 - 2.5 TO' BOARD OF SUPERVISORS FROM: Scott Tandy, Chief Assistant Administrator Contra Costa DATE: September 23 , 1986 Cointy SUBJECT: LITTER CONTROL SPECIFIC REQUEST(S) OR RECOMMENDATION(S) & BACKGROUND AND JUSTIFICATION RECOMMENDATION: Accept the County Administrator' s . report in response to the Board referral of September 9, 1986 concerning the administration of litter control activities by. various County departments. BACKGROUND: On September 9, 1986, the Board referred to the County Administrator' s Office, a request to: 1. Provide a report on litter control activities on County roads; and 2. In conjunction with those activities, draft a letter to be sent to individuals whose trash had been identified in the County' s litter collection (Attachment A) General Services Currently, the Grounds Maintenance Division of the General Services Depart- ment administers a roadside litter cleanup program using Work Fare Program participants. The participants are General Assistance recipients, who are required to perform a minimum amount of work in order to maintain eligibil- ity for General Assistance benefits. Two Work Fare crews regularly patrol roads in the unincorporated areas and also respond to special pickup requests. There are four to five individuals per crew. They work on .an 8-hour Monday through Thursday schedule. Recently, crews have concentrated their efforts on East County roads and the North Richmond area. The program is usually organized on a geographical basis. One crew is assigned to the East County area and one crew to West County. Under this plan, all county roads are cleaned on a quarterly basis. In order to respond promptly to all pickup requests and litter complaints, General Services has requested a third Work Fare crew. Currently, there is a two-month backlog of litter pickup requests. The General Services Department currently has an annual Litter Program budget of about $100,000 . This covers dump fees, equipment purchases, transportation costs and administrative costs. CONTINUED ON ATTACHMENT: _ YES SIGNATURE: / RECOMMENDATION OF COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR RECOMMENDATION OF OARD COMMITTE APPROVE OTHER SIGNATURE(S)' ACTION OF 130ARD ON September 23, 1986 APPROVED AS RECOMMENDED OTHER X ACKNOWLEDGED receipt of County Administrator's report; and DIRECTED that the draft letter to be sent to individuals whose trash has been identified be written in a more forceful manner. VOTE OF SUPERVISORS 1 HEREBY CERTIFY THAT THIS IS A TRUE X UNANIMOUS (ABSENT AND CORRECT COPY OF AN ACTION TAKEN AYES: NOES: AND ENTERED ON THE MINUTES OF THE BOARD ABSENT: ABSTAIN* OF SUPERVISORS ON THE oDATE SHOWN. / CC: County Administrator ATTESTED General Services PHIL BATCHELOR, CLERK OF THE BOARD OF Public works SUPERVISORS AND COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR Health Services Sheriff M382/7-83 BY ,DEPUTY Public Works The Road Maintenance Division of the Public Works Department also is involved in litter control. Activities of this unit focus on providing support to Work Fare units. In instances where a cleanup job is either too large or hazardous for the Work Fare crews, Public Works provides equipment and/or personnel. In all cases, such support is provided by specific request from General Services. In the normal course of road maintenance activities, Public Works personnel will remove large items found dumped along County roads. It is estimated that $15,000 is spent annually for such activities. Health Services Litter control activities by the Health Services Department concentrate on the abatement of Public Health nuisances on private property. Health Services, under State law, may deal with junk and garbage that accumulate on, private property and become a public health nuisance. On the basis of a complaint, notices are sent to the involved property owner indicating that the nuisance must be abated within a certain period of time. Actions are taken up to and including a court imposed fine in order to resolve the matter. Discussions with Health Services staff indicate that the real problem is illegal dumping, not littering. Sheriff Litter control activities performed by the Sheriff ' s Department are con- ducted under its Work Alternative Program. This program is used by the courts as a means of allowing convicted drunk divers to work off court fines. Monthly, Sheriff ' s personnel interview an average of 550-600 individuals referred by the court for work assignment. Work assignments are made to a variety of public agencies such as school districts, park districts, city parks and recreation departments, etc. All costs for administering the program are covered by the fines. -2- Board of Supervisors County Administrator Contra Tom Powers 1st District County Administration Building .Costa Nancy C. Fanden Martinez, California 94553 2nd District (415)372-4080 County Robert I.Schroder Phil Batchelor 3rd District County Administrator Sunne Wright McPeak 4th District -f Tom Torlakson 5th District ATTACHMENT A Dear: You have received this letter because of the efforts being employed to control litter in Contra Costa County. We are contacting those individuals who have had their names identified in trash illegally dumped along County roads. The matters of litter control, waste materials management and conservation of natural resources and energy greatly concern the Board of Supervisors of Contra Costa County. This concern has also been expressed by numerous individuals and groups who desire to maintain and improve the quality of life in our County. Your cooperation is needed to assist community groups and County officials in controlling litter. Your cooperation in observing litter and dumping laws, encouraging your neighbors to do likewise and in working with County staff to identify and resolve violations, will be greatly appreciated. Sincerely,