03/09/1987 Meeting - Laserfiche WebLink

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'. e Answering questions from Ms. Ehrman, Mr. Gleason said the City knows that companies are using hazardous materials because the State Fire Marshal's Office requires the information and because City staff find the materials during the City's business inspection program. He said the City needs to train Fire and Emergency Services personnel to identify hazardous materials and then to help companies solve the problems. He said the State and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) do not enforce regulations very much. He estimated that permits costing $100 to $150 each probably would finance the City's hazardous materials program. Replying to questions from Mr. Miller and Mr. Rutan, Mr. Gleason said the City does not have a technical expert to enforce hazard materials regulations. He said the City would not have to adopt Article 80 as part of the Uniform Building Code. Chief Hall distributed copies of his March 9, 1987, memo to the Mayor and Members of the Council. The subject of the memo was "Hazardous Materials Regulations." He reviewed the memo and discussed adoption of the Uniform Fire Code. Mr. Holmer said most problems are caused by woodstove smoke, gasoline, and transportation accidents and the City has experts in those fields. Mr. Gleason said the most frequent problems are caused by improper storage and disposal of hazardous materials. He said many people do not know they are dealing with hazardous materials but they are very cooperative when they are told of the dangers. e Mr. Holmer said he appreciated Ms. Wooten's efforts to address the hazardous materials issues. He said the City needs to position itself to recognize and cope with the issues. He recommended approval of the second option Mr. Gleason presented. He said the City should develop expertise in both industrial and domestic hazardous materials as a part of its public safety program. Mr. Rutan agreed with Mr. Holmer's recommendation. Mr. Rutan said a technician/teacher could help prevent accidents and identify problems in the city. Then, the council could adopt appropriate regulations. Ms. Wooten said she favors hiring a technical expert and she strongly supports deve 1 opi ng an ordi nance that wi 11 requi re new or expandi ng busi nesses to obtain conditional use permits. In that way, the City will learn what materials companies have and the City will be able to require companies to train employees and to require an environmental audit of the site. She said businesses should locate in appropriate places and have on-site plans. She said she also supports development of an ordinance addressing transportation issues. She said she hopes to develop an inventory of hazardous materials eventually. Mr. Holmer agreed with Ms. Wooten's statement. He suggested the City's land use regulations be reviewed to provide for isolating the use of some hazardous materials. e MINUTES--City Council Dinner/Work Session March 9, 1987 Page 2