At its next meeting Wednesday, the Ukiah City Council will consider a proposal by city staff to create a new position designed to oversee the volunteers willing to help keep local parks clean of trash and other blight.
According to the staff report prepared for the Jan. 15 meeting of the City Council, “litter, graffiti, and other forms of vandalism are negatively affecting our creeks, waterways, parks and public facilities. These issues harm the environment, diminish public spaces, and call for a coordinated effort to keep our communities clean and safe.”
The report, prepared by Community Services Director Neil Davis, further explains that “City Parks and Streets crews spend a considerable amount of time cleaning encampments, refuse, and graffiti from our parks, creeks, and public spaces,” and are occasionally assisted by “unorganized groups of volunteers.”
And while Davis describes volunteers as providing many benefits “to both municipalities and communities” by not only doing the tangible work of removing litter and graffiti, they also “build social capital and encourage pride of ownership in the community while setting an example for others to contribute; however, volunteers also require guidance, planning assistance, and supervision.”
Therefore, Davis writes that the “Community Services team hopes to find a way to tap into the unorganized and relatively dormant volunteerism in our community, (proposing) to tap into this resource by using Solid Waste Abatement funds to hire a part-time, temporary Volunteer Coordinator to organize volunteers to improve the quality and cleanliness of our parks and public spaces.”
The staff report describes the Solid Waste Abatement Fund as being “created two years ago through a small charge added to each garbage bill for the purpose of funding public abatement activities to assist in keeping our community clean. The Public Works team has used the fund to hire contractors to perform occasional cleanup activities, though no formal plan or proposal for using these funds has been established. The fund has grown to a little over $100,000, with $65,000 currently allocated towards a one-time development of downtown garbage enclosures.”
If hired as proposed, “the Volunteer Coordinator will report to the Community Services Supervisor and work with the recreation, parks, and streets teams to identify high-priority clean-up projects that are suitable for volunteer efforts. The goal would be to have a minimum of two clean-up days per month. This position will be listed as a one-year temporary position. The goal is for the position to work between 24-30 hours per week. The salary range will be equivalent to other coordinator positions within the Community Services Department, which is currently $23.93-$29.80 per hour.”
This proposal will be considered as part of the Consent Calendar during the council’s Jan. 15 meeting, which is scheduled to begin at 5:15 p.m. at both the Council Chambers, located inside the Civic Center at 300 Seminary Ave., and online.
To participate or view the virtual meeting, go to the following link: us06web.zoom.us/j/83652451562
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