--- ## title: Roseville Public Works, Environment author: sally.ricard date: D:20260729115010-05'00' --- Page 1 of 5 ## Roseville Public Works, Environment ## and Transportation Commission ## Meeting Minutes Tuesday, May 19, 2026, at 6:30 p.m. ## City Council Chambers, 2660 Civic Center Drive ## Roseville, Minnesota 55113 ## 1. Introduction / Roll Call Chair Ficek called the meeting to order at approximately 6:30 p.m., and at his request, Public Works Director Jesse Freihammer called the roll. Present: Chair Bryant Ficek, Vice Chair Edwin Hodder, and Members Daniel Fergus, Allison Luongo, Katie Brokaw Palalay, Luke Sandstrom, ## and Charles Tedder Youth Commissioners: Carsten Bauer (arrived at 6:49 p.m.), and Alexis Jendro Absent: None. Staff Present: Public Works Director Jesse Freihammer and Environmental ## Manager Ryan Johnson ## 2. Approve Agenda ## Motion Member Hodder moved, Member Brokaw Palalay seconded, approval of the May 19, 2026, Agenda as presented. Ayes: 8 Nays: 0 Motion carried. ## 3. Public Comments None. ## 4. Business Items ## a. Communication Items Public Works Director Freihammer provided a brief review and update on projects and maintenance activities listed in the staff report dated May 13, 2026 (Attachment 1). Page 2 of 5 ## b. 2025 Waste Management Recycling Annual Update ## Environmental Manager Ryan Johnson introduced Waste Management's annual service update, noting that it was the first such presentation since the City transitioned to the new contractor in July of the previous year. He explained that the presentation would review the first year of service, discuss performance and improvement opportunities, and introduce Waste Management representatives Vanessa Gutierrez, Matt Coppel, and Jay Winkowski before turning the presentation over to them. Waste Management (WM) representatives introduced themselves. Vanessa Gutierrez started in October with the Roseville contract top priority. Matt Coppel is the District Manager in Blaine. Ms. Gutierrez reviewed that the WM contract with Roseville for recycling services started on July 1, 2025, and acknowledged that it was not an easy start and that Roseville was not provided an account representative. Mr. Coppel stated that WM has a .02% failure rate in Roseville. Some of the issues they have seen is a high level of contamination at multi-level dwellings (MUDs), but at single family homes as well. He noted the drivers perform “lid lifts” as part of their efforts to reduce contamination. Ms. Gutierrez noted that they are working directly with MUDs to resolve issues. Other issues have been late set outs. Ms. Gutierrez stated customer service is a particular challenge and noted that WM has added a phone number where, if a resident states “agent” three times, they can reach a live representative. They are currently working on a specific local phone number for Roseville residents only, as well as a Roseville-specific website. They have worked at being present at Roseville events. Ms. Gutierrez shared that sustainability is a priority to WM and she is particularly proud of their efforts in the textile recycling program, noting WM is the only hauler in the United States that does not export textiles. Textile recycling is a regional effort. Reusable textiles that are collected are distributed to organizations and the remaining textiles are shipped to regional facilities to be recycled. Ms. Gutierrez also shared future initiatives WM is working on, such as paper shredding and sharps disposal. Member Fergus asked about how “lid lifts” work; what is Roseville’s level of contamination compared to other cities; and would textiles be a service coming to bins. Vice Chair Hodder asked if WM is creating new markets for textiles. Member Brokaw Palalay asked if they only recycle natural fibers in their textile service. Mr. Coppel explained that drivers typically tag contaminated carts but still empty them. If it is a consistent issue, they will tag and leave cart and WM will notify the City. Mr. Winkowski stated that Roseville’s level of contamination Page 3 of 5 is comparable to other cities. Ms. Gutierrez said that if Roseville was interested in participating in the textile program, they would work with the City to come up with a model as an add-on service. They are able to recycle both natural and synthetic materials. With respect to creating new markets, Ms. Gutierrez said yes, they are, but she would need to refer the commission to the team that specializes in textile recycling. Member Fergus also asked if labels need to be removed from cans and WM staff stated no. Chair Ficek asked how amounts are tracked. Mr. Coppel stated he can see daily tonnages and knows how much his crew is picking up but does not have access to the Mataerials Recovery Facility (MRF). Ms. Gutierrez stated that WM provides quarterly and annual reports to the City. MRF has a proprietary formula to calculate data and works with multiple departments to compile data. She offered to bring the MRF team back to PWET to give a presentation. Following the presentation, Member Tedder noted he was expecting more from WM’s annual report and stated what was covered in the meeting did not align with the objectives listed in the commission item. Chair Ficek concurred and noted also that the appendices were missing from the report. Environmental Manager Ryan Johnson explained that he left the appendices out because they primarily contained residents’ private information. Brokaw Palalay asked if there would be a financial impact if contamination levels go over a certain level. Mr. Johnson stated potentially, but that has never happened. However, he stated that WM and the City work with individual properties with contamination issues to mitigate at the property level. These efforts help keep contamination levels low overall. He reiterated that Roseville has very low contamination levels. Johnson stated the data received from WM still needs to be cleaned up because there is a big discrepancy between Eureka numbers and WM numbers. He confirmed that all the materials are going to the MRF, but questions whether WM tracks materials the same way Eureka had tracked materials. He noted that WM is more technologically advanced, such as videoing all items going into trucks, and he believes the data is comparable to Eureka’s. But he wants to make sure the numbers are final before providing them to the commission. ## c. Recycling Cart Update Environmental Manager Ryan Johnson reported that the recycling cart rollout and transition to Waste Management required significantly more staff time than anticipated and thanked residents and staff for their patience throughout the process. He particularly recognized Public Works staff, who spent much of the summer addressing cart exchanges, delivery issues, and resident requests while maintaining their regular duties. Page 4 of 5 Mr. Johnson noted that most rollout issues were eventually resolved, call volumes declined over time, and residents generally appreciated the City's efforts to provide carts that better matched their recycling needs. ## d. Annual MS4 Stormwater Public Meeting Environmental Manager Ryan Johnson explained that the meeting fulfilled the City's annual MS4 permit requirements under the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency. He noted that the permit requires cities with over 10,000 residents to implement and document stormwater management activities, including erosion control, illicit discharge prevention, inspections, staff training, and public education. He added that although the MPCA has delayed formal annual reporting while updating its reporting system, cities must continue maintaining program records and compliance activities. Mr. Johnson explained that the program's primary goals and highlighted illicit discharge investigations as a key component of the program, explaining that staff must quickly identify, contain, and trace pollutants entering the storm sewer system. He noted that the MPCA closely monitors the City's response to such incidents and expects prompt corrective action whenever discharges occur. ## 5. Commission Direction on Member-Initiated Agenda Items Mr. Freihammer reviewed upcoming PWETC agenda items, noting that the June meeting will focus on the Climate Equity Action Plan and the leaf collection site. Mr. Freihammer reviewed other future topics, including the Joint Council Meeting, pathway planning, streetlight policy updates, pavement funding, speed limits, assessment policy revisions, and potential facility tours. Commissioners were encouraged to provide ideas in advance so they can be incorporated into the Joint Council Meeting agenda and supporting materials. 6. Approval of April 28, 2026, Meeting Minutes Comments and corrections to draft minutes had been submitted by PWETC commissioners prior to tonight’s meeting, and those revisions were incorporated into the draft presented in meeting materials. Commissioner Brokaw Palalay noted on lines 215, 225, and 303 of the minutes that the comments made were not hers. Commissioner Sandstrom indicated that those comments were his. ## Motion Member Fergus moved, Member Brokaw Palalay seconded, approval of the April 28, 2026, meeting minutes as amended. Ayes: 8 Nays: 0 Page 5 of 5 Motion carried. 7. Adjourn ## Motion Member Hodder moved, Member Brokaw Palalay seconded, and the meeting adjourned at approximately 8:43 p.m. Ayes: 8 Nays: 0 Motion carried.