Subject: SUPPLEMENTAL REPORT ABANDONED CART ORDINANCE
SUPPLEMENTAL
On January 22, 2001, the proposed Abandoned Cart Ordinance was reviewed by the Education, Neighborhoods, Youth and Seniors Committee. During this discussion, staff was requested to provide additional information on the following items:
1)
How the granny cart (portable utility carts) program would work;
2)
Outreach and education efforts; and
3)
The feasibility of collaborating with VTA to promote education and awareness activities;
The purpose of this memorandum is to respond to that request.
GRANNY CARTS
The California Grocers Association (CGA) and the Northern California Grocers Association (NCGA) have agreed to partner with the City of San Jose to implement a voucher program that would make portable utility carts available at cost to any person presenting a cart voucher. Vouchers would be issued by the City for a pilot period of eighteen months.
Interested individuals would simply contact the City’s Call Center (277-4000) and request a voucher application form. Upon completion, a voucher would be issued along with a resource list of stores participating in the program. During the initial outreach phase, individuals who are found to have illegally removed a cart would be given a warning notice along with a voucher application form.
At the end of the pilot period, an evaluation of the effectiveness of the program would be conducted and a determination made as to whether to continue the program.
OUTREACH & EDUCATION
The Ordinance has been developed to ensure that the owners of the carts are aware of their responsibility to prevent the abandonment of carts and to educate their customers not to take the carts and abandon them off-site.
The Ordinance requires each business with more then 26 carts to submit a site specific Abandoned Cart Prevention Plan to the City of San Jose. This plan will focus the store on the issue of loss prevention and requires a retrieval plan and employee awareness training as plan components. It further requires that the owner provide outreach to their customers to prevent loss of the carts. This may include but would not be limited to: flyers handed out at the site; warnings on shopping bags; signs posted near exits and parking lots; intercom announcements and/or other means deemed by the City to be effective in advising customers not to take or abandon shopping carts.
In addition, the carts will be required to have signs permanently attached to identify ownership, provide a removal warning to customers and retrieval contact information. This site specific and targeted outreach to the stores’ customers who may be taking the carts that are abandoned is considered to be the most effective way to prevent cart abandonment.
Upon enactment of the Ordinance, city staff will send notification of the Ordinance to all stores providing cart service including the date that the plan and provisions are required to be implemented.
The notification packet will include information on how to complete an adequate plan; a sample completed plan; sample cart signage in three languages; customer outreach requirements; a copy of the Ordinance, and frequently asked questions regarding the Ordinance.
The packet will also provide information on a free seminar occurring before the deadline provided by the City in partnership with the NCGA and CGA. This seminar will include information of how to complete an adequate plan, Good Neighbor issues and cart loss prevention activities. It will also provide an opportunity for those attending to ask questions directly of staff and learn from industry representatives and each other.
The representatives of the CGA and NCGA have also committed to participate in the five “cart sweeps” with Streets and Traffic and Code Enforcement staff that will kick off the cart program in each area.
GENERAL Outreach
Although the most direct education will occur as a result of specific outreach efforts occurring at the store site, the City will also conduct an outreach campaign to advise residents of the new ordinance and the number they can call to report abandoned carts (the Call Center). This outreach will occur via a direct mailing to all known neighborhood associations. The mailing will explain the program and the implementation timeline. Additionally, information will be disseminated at Strong Neighborhood Initiative Neighborhood Advisory Committee meetings. Written information in three languages will be available at the Call Center in City hall, other City facilities and on the City’s Web site. And finally, press releases will be issued each time the program is kicked off in a new service area.
Staff Resources
The staff recommendation is that three new positions be added to implement the Abandoned Cart Prevention Program. Two positions, in the Department of Planning, Building and Code Enforcement and one in the Department of Streets and Traffic. These positions would be augmented with other existing department staff as necessary during peak outreach, collection and cart sweep events from both departments. While there will be a need to redeploy resources during the initial kick-off phase, it is anticipated that the proposed staffing augmentations will be adequate to provide oversight and maintenance of the program once the initial implementation phase has been completed.
COORDINATION
Staff has provided information to SJPD regarding the abandoned cart ordinance and granny cart voucher program. This information will be made available to field personnel through briefings and written information provided in a question and answer format including citing sections and penalties once adopted. Vouchers and listings of participating NCGA and CGA stores will also be made available to the Police Department for distribution as needed.
One Year Review
Staff will return to the ENYS for a one year review and report of the programs success and challenges. It is anticipated that the report will provide information on the completion of the seminars, industry compliance, number of carts retrieved during the cart sweeps, the number of citizen calls for service, adequacy of staff resources and appropriateness of fee structure.
VTA
Staff has contacted VTA to determine potential partnerships for advertisements at bus stops, card inserts or bus wraps. VTA has expressed support of the program; however, additional analysis will be required in order to determine actual costs and outreach mechanisms. Staff will continue to work with VTA to determine the most effective outreach mechanism.
CONCLUSION
The proposed Abandoned Cart Prevention Program is a product of collaboration between City Departments and partnerships with local industry. It is ambitious in scope and efficiency; however, we look forward to the challenge and a successful program.
Planning, Building and Code Enforcement |
