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Leavenworth City reports nearly 800 responses to solid-waste survey; recycling interest high
Summary
Public works staff told the City Commission that nearly 800 residents responded to a recent solid-waste survey. Overall satisfaction was moderate, respondents signaled support for some rate increases to add services such as recycling, and staff recommended further analysis of bulky-item pickup and potential service changes.
Leavenworth City staff presented results from a public survey on solid-waste operations, reporting about 775 responses, mixed satisfaction ratings and apparent public interest in expanded recycling and bulky-item pickup.
Trevor, the staff presenter, told commissioners the survey drew nearly 800 responses with roughly a 75 percent completion rate and 272 open-ended comments. On a 1-to-5 satisfaction scale the presenter summarized an average rating around 3.5 and said 55 percent of respondents were satisfied or very satisfied while about 15 percent reported dissatisfaction.
Trevor said the survey asked respondents to evaluate several service options against estimated monthly rate increases. He described a bubble-graph visualization that plotted favorability versus estimated dollar increases and cautioned the commission that options with fewer respondents carry less statistical confidence. As an example, he said one option showed an estimated $3.40 monthly increase and another clustered near $3.60 to $3.70 depending on service details, and that the larger survey groups gave more confidence in the direction of public preference.
Key findings staff highlighted: clear appetite for recycling services and a willingness among some respondents to pay more for expanded services; frequent comments about the timing and availability of bulky-item pickup; and notable open-ended feedback on recycling and service reliability.
Operational context: staff explained that solid-waste collection is managed in-house and that recent service reliability has benefited from favorable weather and relatively stable staffing. However, staff warned the commission that the department has “very little margin for error” and that maintaining service during staff shortages or equipment failures remains a concern.
Commissioners and staff discussed next steps. Trevor acknowledged the survey had some responses from outside Leavenworth and said the platform used limited address validation; staff recommended cleaning the dataset and returning with refined results and cost estimates if the commission wants to pursue new services such as curbside recycling, transfer-station options or expanded bulky-item pickup.
No formal decisions were made. Commissioners thanked staff and asked for follow-up analysis, including: refined resident-only response counts, cost estimates for specific recycling and bulky-item options, and potential staffing or equipment needs to increase service resilience.
Ending: Staff will refine the survey dataset, provide clearer resident-only metrics and prepare costed options for any service changes the commission wishes to consider.
