Committee weighs in-house honey-wagon services and porta-potty purchases for Colona campground

The parks/committee reviewed proposals for the city to provide honey-wagon (waste pumping) services and potentially own porta-potties for campground use, aiming to reduce recurring contractor costs and improve availability during events.

Committee discussion covered likely costs and logistics: one-off training or setup costs were described as modest (an initial $200 item was referenced in the discussion), with ongoing per-service charges estimated at about $25–$30. Committee members estimated annual revenue at the low hundreds to a few thousand dollars (transcript packet references annual revenue near $3,000–$3,200). Training and certification requirements for employees to handle sewer/waste work were emphasized; committee members said they were enrolling staff in required courses. Equipment build time was estimated at roughly 8–10 weeks to get service ready before the season.

Funding: Committee agreed on a funding approach of splitting initial costs between sewer funds and an increase to the campground equipment line item (half from sewer; half from campground regular cash), and staff said the sewer line item had sufficient balance for the proposed change without a formal amendment.

Motion and next steps: Committee voted to take the item to full council for the March 9 meeting so the city can finalize procurement and training prior to the season. Staff will return with final cost numbers, procurement recommendations and confirmation of insurance and certification coverage.