Exh 3AAGENDA ITEM #3A
MAY 28, 2002
May 20, 2002
MEMORANDUM
TO: The Honorable Mayor
and Members of the C' Commission
FROM: Jim Ha
i~C ty l~fa age
SUBJECT: Follow-itji Report
Twice Per Week Trash Collection; At the last City Commission meeting, staff was requested to
verify the contractor's price for twice per week trash collection and report back to the .
Commission The last price update the staffreceived from our waste hauler was in August of
last yeaz at which time we were advised that the cost to add Thursday yard trash collection would
amount to an additional $1.86 per residential account per month. This would equate to a total
additional cost to the City of approximately $105,000 per yeaz. As of the time of the writing of
this report, BFI has notyet confirmed that they would still provide the service at the price they
quoted last August.
State Reauirements for Water Conservation Rates: One comment made at the last
Commission meeting was that the Water Management District does not the authority to require
Atlantic Beach to amend our water and wastewater rates so as to encourage water conservation.
Water conservation requirements are spelled forth in two sections of the Florida Code and further
defined in a document entitled "Water Conservation Public Supply Requirements" adopted by
reference in the Code. Based upon that authority, the Water Management District has instructed
Atlantic Beach to make amendments to the water/sewer rate structure. Specific language in each
of these is as follows:
State Code; Section 62-40.412 "Water Conservation" generally requires water distribution
companies to be as efficient as possible with potable resources and gives the District the ability
io create incentive to this end. The rule states "The District shall further accomplish this water
conservation goal by...promoting water-conserving rate structures. 62-40.412 (2) (a) 4. Another
section of the Florida Code (40C-2) "adopts by reference Parts I, II and III, and the Water
Conservation Public Supply Requirements in Appendix I of the Applicant's Handbook,
Consumptive Uses of Water, 4-10-02."
The Applicant's Handbook referenced in the previous paragraph defines a water conservation
promoting rate structure as "A water supply utility rate structure designed to encourage the
utility's water customers to reduce discretionary water use by providing financial incentives to
the customers to conserve water." Section 12.2.5.10 of the Handbook states "The applicant
must submit a written proposal and implement a water conservation promoting rate structure,
unless the applicant demonstrates that the cost of implementing such a rate structure is not
justified because it will have little or no effect on reducing water use. In the event that the
.AGENDA ITEM #3A
MAY 28, 2002
applicant has water conservation promoting rate stnucture in effect, the applicant must submit a
written assessment of whether the existing rate structure would be more effective in promoting
water conservation if it were modified, and if so, describe and implement the needed changes.
Upon request, the District will assist the applicant by providing available demographic data,
computer models, and literature. In evaluating whether a proposed rate structure promotes water
conservation, the District will consider customer demographics, the potential for effectiveness,
the appropriateness to the applicant's particulaz circumstances,, and other relevant factors. Those
permittees required to implement a water conservation rate structure must provide written
reminder notices to their customers at least twice a year of the financial incentive to conserve
water in order that the rate structure does not lose its effectiveness."
Written correspondence from the Water Management District in response to Atlantic Beach's
request for reissuance of our water withdrawal permits over the last couple of months includes
the following language; "Section 12.2.5.1(f) of the Applicant's Handbook requires that the
applicant implement a water conservation promoting rate structure unless it can be demonstrated
that the cost of implementing such a rate structure is not justified because it will have little or no
effect on reducing water use. The rate structure provided is not an acceptable conservation
rate schedule as required by CUP permit. A graduated fee schedule would encourage
conservation by users, and the additional revenue obtained from larger use consumers may be
used to enhance reserved funds for capital expenditures. The Port Orange, along with other
utilities in the District, rate schedules suggest rising rate penahies that discourage wasteful use
while hokling down costs for normal-use customers. There also appears to be room to raise the
base rates without substantially exceeding rates paid in neighboring communities. Changes in
the rate structure notching up the residential base rate woukl allow the costs of implementing
reuse to be more equitably spread among all affected parties in the water jurisdiction. The
elimination of irrigation meters or increased rates for potable water supplying irrigation
systems will be required to discourage the excessive waste that these meter holders exhibit.
Please submit a program and schedule for revising the City's water/sewer/reclaimed/irrigation
meter water rates to make it consistent with the goals of 40C-2: '
Sherry Drive Traff-c Volumes; Someone reported of a recent Commission meeting that they
understood the Police Department to tell them that approximately 16,000 cars per day used
Sherry Drive. That number is incorrect. The last time the Police Department checked traffic
volumes on the street, the daily traffic average between 3,000 and 4,000 cars per day.
Portable Rubber Speed Bumps; It was requested that staff look into the possibility of requiring
moveable rubber speed bumps that could be used in vazious locations of Atlantic Beach.
Attached for your information is a memo from David Thompson on this subject dated 5/15/02.
AGENDA ITEM #3A
MAY 28, 2002
' • ~ ~
Memo
Ta Jim Henson, City Manager
Fmn: David E. Thompson, Chief of PolicelDPS
Dace 5/152002
Rc Temporary Speed Bumps
1. General Use of Speed Bumps
In general, speed bumps create more problems than they solve. They are a daily
aggravation to some people who must drive across them, and they are not effective
at preventing speeding.
When speed bumps are installed, they invariably lead to numerous complaints.
Motorists will try to find the "right speed" to hit them such that it is the least irritating to
the motorists. Motorists will drive off of the edge of the pavement in an attempt to
miss the speed bumps. Motorists who oppose the speed bumps have been known
to blow their horns or find other ways to show their objections to the speed bumps.
Motorists will contact the city to file claims for damage to their vehicles. Some will
request that the city pay for front~nd alignments every few months.
Once speed bumps are installed, some cftizens will call and ask that the speed
bumps be enlarged, while others will call to recommend that the speed bumps should
be smaller
Even if speed bumps are installed, it will not make the streets a safe place for people
to walk or play.
2. Temporary Speed Bumps or Humps
Exploring concept of using "temporary'speed bumps or humps reveals several
inherent problems.
From a conceptual perspective, a temporary speed bump would only be appropriate
to address a temporary problem. If the problem is a long-term problem, then placing
a temporary speed bump on the roadway for a few days, weeks, or months is only
going to affect traffic while the speed bumps are present. As soon as they are
t
AGENDA ITEM #3A
MAY 28, 2002
removed, the motorists will resume their previous behaviors. We believe that we can
expect the supporters to want a permanent speed bump installed, while detractors will
want R removed. Either way, the temporary speed bump will not provide along-term.
solution to any problems.
From a pavement management perspective, temporary speed bumps are going to
create problems. To anchor a speed bump will require attaching it to the roadway..
This will require spikes, bogs, or adhesives that will unquestionably damage the
surface of the street. I have reviewed several designs that f have found on the
intemet, and all of them will damage the roadway.
3. Petitions
The use of petitions to make such decisions is questionable at best. The petitions
are obviously initiated by those citizens in support of the speed bumps. We know
that people who oppose having speed bumps will still sign a petition to avoid conflicts
with neighbors. We have had experience with citizens who signed petitions
advocating speed bumps, and they later called and complained about the speed
bumps.
Petitions show the names of advocates the speed bumps, but they do not represent
the rest of the people who may be affected by the speed bumps. They do not take
into accounfithe people who bicycle, walk, stroll, skate, or otherwise pass through the
neighborhood. They also do not identify the neighbors who decline to sign the
petition.
Petitions typically include signatures from people who live near the location in
question. However, there may be thousands of motorists passing through that
roadway each day, and they do not have the ability to be heard relative to speed
bumps.
4. Impact on other Roadways
When speed bumps are installed atone location, they have a significant impact on
the roadways nearby. When speed bumps are installed on one street, people will
start using the peripheral streets. This will essentially increase the amount of traffic
on the other streets. As you might expect, the people on the other streets do not
appreciate the traffic, and invariably, they will want speed bumps, too.
5. Historicallnformation
The only existing Atlantic Beach speed bumps that the Police Department has
recommended are the strips et Royal Palms and Plaza Road. This was a location
that had numerous traffic crashes, and none of the other traffic control mechanisms
were effective.
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MAY 28, 2002
When faced with a request for speed bumps, the Police Department conducts a
traffic study to determine the volume of traffic and the frequency of speeding. If then:
is an excessive frequency of speeding, then enforcement activities are initiated to
reduce it.
If traffic crash data suggests that there is a problem at the location, then the Police,
Department utilizes resources to seek solutions to design flaws.
to some cases, the City Commission has directed the City to install speed bumps in
the past, even when the Police Department did not recommend them.
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