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City Council Regular Meeting - 02/27/06 Minutes - Page 27 windrows. Mr. Schwartz reviewed the inclusion of a compost aeration attachment in the storm utility fund at an amount of $95,000 and reducing contract maintenance by $11,000 annually. Mr. Schwartz noted that staff, after various searches, had found a used, 1997 compost aeration attachment with 600 hours, found through an internet broker, at an asking price of $30,000; and staff estimated that the unit would pay for itself in 4-7 years, depending on maintenance. Mr. Schwartz advised that the low bidder on a new unit was MacQueen Equipment at a cost of $92,142; and that Apollo Equipment had a 1997 model used unit for sale at $30,500. Mr. Schwartz noted that the used unit from Apollo was located in Texas, would need to be verified as to condition and actual hours, and would need to be transported from Texas. Discussion included continued maintenance of the site by the City, or use of Ramsey County sites; contamination concerns and future renovations of the City site; the County's current practice of trucking their material to other sites due to lack of management staff at their sites; cost projections of various options; estimated staff time for turning the compost; changes in the industry and services provided by refuse haulers; and community expectations and use of the site for dropping off leaves, as well as use of the free compost materials by residents and the City. Councilmember Ihlan spoke in support of looking at the used equipment as recommended by staff; however, questioned whether it would less expensive to hire a mechanic in Dallas to check the equipment. Mr. Schwartz advised that, upon checking, current round trip airfare was available for approximately $105.00. Mayor Klausing noted that the City's use of the compost, and potential expense of purchasing compost, also needed to be taken into consideration in the equation. John Kysylyczyn, 3083 N Victoria Street