Chaska asks: Too many trucks on too many days?

Tired of city streets being cluttered with refuse haulers just about every day of the week, Chaska is looking to clean up the mess by reorganizing garbage collection.

The City Council this month began looking at plans that range from limiting the number of haulers that serve city residents to reducing the number of days that haulers pick up garbage in Chaska.

The expectation is that reducing the number of times that trucks are on the road will not only reduce the wear and tear on city streets but will also make it safer for children who at times must dodge four, five or six garbage trucks in their neighborhoods on a given day.

But consensus has been hard to come by for the city.

So far, the only agreement the City Council has been able to reach is to leave things alone until the pulse of the city can be taken on the issue, possibly next year during a citywide survey of residents.

Pick your own hauler

In Chaska, according to city officials, it appears that residents overwhelmingly like the idea of having a choice from among numerous haulers.

In the mid-1990s, the last time a city survey was conducted, about 70 percent of Chaska residents said they favored having multiple haulers available.

City officials figure the same probably holds true now, which is why the most likely scenario for changing garbage hauling in the city might be to limit how often trucks can come into the city and use streets.

Even that could prove controversial, which is why Chaska will conduct the survey, which could cost $20,000 or more.

"It is a hot-button issue," said Waconia Mayor Roger Lehrke, whose city has had similar garbage debates over the years. "And everybody always seems to think that they know best."

Waconia decades ago settled into a system similar to Chaska's, with multiple haulers on multiple days. But like Chaska, city officials said that is also under scrutiny.

Choice, choice, choice

Assistant City Administrator Bart Fischer, who prepared a report for the City Council recently, said Chaska looked at a variety of options, including possibly going to one hauler or even having the city take over garbage collection.

But it soon became apparent in talking to residents that limiting options would not be popular, Fischer said.

"People were like, 'We want choice; don't go to a single server,'" Fischer said.

After talking with haulers, Fischer said the most likely option is limiting the number of pickup days to maybe two or three initially and ultimately going to only one per week.

Lehrke, the Waconia mayor, said even though things have been going smoothly in his city, there are still rumblings among some people that there are too many trucks making too many trips on too many days.

He thinks the Waconia City Council might take up the issue this fall and consider possible changes next year, including possibly reducing the number of carriers or setting up zones in which they can operate.

"Everybody likes the fact that [competition] keeps the prices down," Lehrke said. "So we have people bouncing back and forth constantly. ... But we do have some complaints from residents saying there's eight different trucks in my alley and there's no need for that."