City of Columbia, Missouri  
Meeting Minutes - Final  
City Council  
Conference Room  
1A/1B &  
Monday, January 22, 2024  
5:00 PM  
Work Session - Revised  
Council Chamber  
Columbia City Hall  
701 E. Broadway  
I. CALL TO ORDER  
Mayor Buffaloe called the meeting to order at approximately 5:00 p.m.  
6 - Buffaloe, Foster, Lovelady, Waterman, Knoth, and Proffitt  
Present:  
This item is open to the public: Motion for City Council to go into closed  
session to discuss:  
- Sealed bids and related documents, until the bids are opened; and  
sealed proposals and related documents or any documents related to a  
negotiated contract until a contract is executed, or all proposals are  
rejected pursuant to Section 610.021(12) RSMo.  
At approximately 5:00 p.m., Mayor Buffaloe made a motion for the City Council of  
the City of Columbia, Missouri, to immediately go into a closed meeting in  
Conference Room 1A/1B of City Hall to discuss sealed proposals and related  
documents or any documents related to a negotiated contract until a contract is  
executed, or all proposals are rejected pursuant to Section 610.021(12) of the  
Revised Statutes of Missouri. The motion was seconded by Council Member  
Proffitt.  
6 - Buffaloe, Foster, Lovelady, Waterman, Knoth, and Proffitt  
Yes:  
This item is closed to the public: Closed Meeting in Conference Room  
1A/1B  
At approximately 5:01 p.m., the City Council went into closed session in Conference  
Room 1A/1B pursuant to RSMo Section 610.021(12).  
The Council adjourned the closed meeting and returned to the open work session portion  
of the meeting at approximately 5:18 p.m. Since the remainder of the work session was  
being held in the Council Chamber, it was approximately 5:25 p.m. by the time everyone  
was settled and that discussion began. Those minutes will have the details of that  
discussion.  
This item is open to the public: Recycling and Waste Diversion  
Discussion in Council Chambers  
Utilities Director, David Sorrell introduced Steven Hunt and others from the Utility  
Department. The report on Recycling and Waste Diversion program evaluation was  
finalized on November 17, 2023 and sent to Council. Staff is requesting Council direction  
on:  
- Material Recovery Facility  
- Recycling Drop-Off Centers  
- Curbside Collection or Recyclables  
- Overall Program Improvements  
Material Recovery Facility  
Three options of material recovery facilities include:  
Option 1: Decommission the Columbia MRF and transport recycling material to different  
MRF for processing.  
Option 2: Retrofit or upgrade the existing MRF.l  
Option 3: Construct a New MRF on the current site.  
Option 4: Construct a New MRF on a different location on the Columbia Sanitary Landfill  
property.  
Staff indicated they do not recommend options #1 or #2 as they have high transportation  
and high material processing costs ($75 to $100 / ton). Staff does recommend  
proceeding with a hybrid between Option #3 and Option #4. They suggest the following:  
- Issue RFP for Professional Engineering services for preliminary and final design of a  
new MRF facility based upon Option #3 & Option #4.  
- Utilize existing funding in Solid Waste CIP -MRF Phase 2 project for design.  
- Utilize bond funds to pay for construction costs. (Financing $1.4 -$2.2 million  
annually -4.5 -8.4% rate increase -$0.78 -$1.46 monthly increase for residential  
customers)  
Curbside Collection of Recyclables  
- Implement automated collections for curbside recycling with a program to co-collect  
bagged containers and loose fiber in one cart.  
- Discontinue collecting glass at the curb and focus on collecting glass in purple bins  
at Recycling Drop-Off Centers.  
- Procure specialized services to route collection trucks using computer software to  
create the most efficient collection routes.  
Staff recommends making no changes until residential curbside recycling operation has  
resumed and staffing in Solid Waste  
- Collections is at least 90%.They also  
recommend implementing automated residential curbside recycling collection.  
Recycling Drop-Off Centers  
Staff went on to discuss recycling drop-off centers. Staff recommends making no  
changes until residential curbside recycling operation has resumed and staffing in Solid  
Waste Collections is at least 90%.  
Council and Staff discussed further.  
This item is open to the public: Boards and Commissions Discussion in  
Council Chambers  
Staff is asking Council direction on what they would like for staff to report on in regards to  
all Boards & Commissions. At the December 4, 2024 meeting Council requested that  
Boards & Commissions be reviewed as to their effectiveness, if they are needed or if  
some of them need to be eliminated.  
We have over 50 Boards and Commissions. There are high numbers of vacancies and we  
are constantly re-advertising.. The Mayor indicated she feels a comprehensive  
questionnaire or check-in to see what is going on. This gives the opportunity to see if  
these volunteers are utilizing their time or if the board is not serving their purpose  
anymore.  
Knoth said Boards and Commissions are created but we don’t really ever reevaluate to  
see if they are serving their purpose. We need to manage resources and be mindful of  
the time of the volunteers and condensing the number of boards & commissions and  
maybe combine some of those.  
While this isn’t the most important thing that Council has, it is important that annually, a  
report from all of our boards & commissions.  
Council and Staff discussed further.  
II. ANY OTHER ITEMS COUNCIL MAY WISH TO DISCUSS  
None.  
III. ADJOURNMENT  
The meeting adjourned at approximately 7:06 p.m.