2006-05-18 Cost of Government Commission Minutes

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Ms. Cushnie suggested finding a transfer station that needs repairing, and shutting it down for six months, and having that community try this idea. She asked if Mr. Dworsky had the staff to help write and implement a grant. Mr. Dworsky said all the needs would need to be put together. The stations need many improvements, and the chutes also need more of a roof. They were going to start with the Volcano station because it is in bad condition and the population is growing. They could try to fund a temporary alternative chute through a CIP. However, the land area is so large and the community so rural that to pick up residents' trash may be impractical. It may be easier to set up a temporary chute. Ms. Cushnie said the DEM could pick another location to try. Mr. Sakaguchi told Mr. Dworsky that he hoped he would stay with the DEM. Mr. Dworsky said that he moved here because his wife, who is Samoan, is on dialysis and they have three young children, so he plans to stick around. Mr. Joseph said he had a final question, regarding whether heavy equipment operators were randomly drug tested, and Mr. Dworsky said that to his knowledge they were not. He feels it would be a good idea for the County to have random drug testing. It would emphasize the County's seriousness about the no -drug policy and would protect the employees and the community. Mr. Dworsky explained that equipment operators fall into two categories: truck drivers and those who stay at the landfills and drive the tractors and bulldozers. Both categories require CDL's. However, there are employees who do not want to drive trucks, who would rather stay at the landfill and work the bulldozers. To operate this equipment, however, they need to get a CDL, which also allows for driving a huge rig on the highway. It would be good if the two categories could be separated so that equipment operators do not need CDL's. They tried to talk to the Civil Service Department about this, but Civil Service wants to do things however the other counties do things. The flexibility is lacking. Equipment operators should not need highway training if they are not going to use it. Also, it could be dangerous if you have an employee with a CDL who only drives a bulldozer, but he gets placed in a big truck on the highway. He may have the CDL, but he has not driven a rig on the highway in a long time. Ms. Cushnie said a self - limiting license might be beneficial for everyone's protection. Mr. Sakaguchi said he appreciated Mr. Dworsky's interest in minimizing the County's liability. It is a big problem for all governments. Mr. Joseph thanked Mr. Dworsky for taking the time to come and give a good overview of the Solid Waste Division. (A break was taken from 11: 03 to 11: 08 a. m) Oj