Canandaigua City Council committees paused work on a curbside composting program and declined to pursue restrictions on private-property tree removal during a Sept. 14 meeting. Members instead advanced separate work on St. John’s Court parking, e-bike enforcement and a possible expansion of Lagoon Park.
The Environmental Committee also recommended that the full council allocate $20,000 for a schematic plan required before the Canandaigua Area Development Corporation considers donating 5.5 acres next to Lagoon Park. The Ordinance Committee voted 4-0 to move a proposed St. John’s Court parking change toward a public hearing.
Composting costs outweigh projected disposal savings
The city examined curbside food-scrap collection after its 2026 National Community Survey found 80% of respondents supported introducing a composting or food-scrap program. Seventy percent supported curbside collection.
Public Works Director Sarah Brown estimated that launching a program modeled on the city’s existing waste and recycling services would cost about $890,000 during the first year. That estimate includes roughly $375,000 for another collection truck, $135,000 for two additional employees and the cost of containers for properties across the city.
Brown estimated the program would then cost about $400,000 annually, in addition to the city’s existing waste and recycling expenses. Those services cost $521,869 in 2025 and have a 2026 budget of $570,404.
The city collects about 2,500 tons of garbage annually. Using an estimate that one-third of that material is organic, officials calculated that composting could divert about 750 tons.
At the current Ontario County landfill tipping fee of about $45 per ton, that diversion would save approximately $33,750 annually. Even if disposal fees doubled, the estimated $67,500 in avoided costs would remain far below the projected cost of a curbside composting program.
The Ontario County landfill is scheduled to close Dec. 31, 2028. The city manager said sending Canandaigua’s waste elsewhere could add about $300,000 to the city budget in 2029 because of higher disposal fees, fuel costs and travel time.
Recycling costs are also expected to rise. The city currently pays no tipping fee for approximately 500 tons of recycling but is projecting a future cost near $100 per ton.
Staff is preparing the next city budget without a composting program. Committee members agreed to wait for more information about Ontario County’s plans before deciding whether to revisit curbside collection.
Ontario County Sustainability and Solid Waste Management Director Carla Jordan is expected to brief the Environmental Committee in October about options the county is considering.
Lagoon Park plan moves to full council
The Canandaigua Area Development Corporation has offered to donate Parcel V, a 5.5-acre property adjoining Lagoon Park. The land would have to remain parkland and be integrated with the existing park.
Before considering the donation, the corporation wants a schematic design showing how the parcel would connect to Lagoon Park. The city has received one proposal for $18,400 and is awaiting a second.
The Environmental Committee recommended setting aside $20,000 from the Parks and Open Space Reserve, which holds approximately $126,000. The full council would have to approve the appropriation.
The plan would build on the city’s 2022 Waterfront Parks Master Plan and could support future grant applications. Officials said potential work includes shoreline and habitat restoration, removal of invasive European buckthorn and dead ash trees, and repairs to deteriorating break walls.
The development corporation wants the plan completed by Dec. 31. Both firms approached by the city indicated they could meet that deadline, according to the city manager.
Private tree-removal ordinance dropped
The Ordinance Committee agreed not to pursue an ordinance requiring property owners to obtain permission before removing trees.
Committee members cited property rights, the burden a permit could place on homeowners and the limited number of large-scale tree-clearing projects within the city. A Tree Advisory Board member also told the committee that the board had studied the issue for months and concluded a private-property tree-removal program was unnecessary.
Members remained interested in reviewing the city’s erosion-control rules. The current ordinance requires a sediment and erosion-control plan when one acre or more is disturbed, while the city’s previous threshold was 500 square feet.
The committee asked staff to examine whether a lower threshold would better protect areas such as the Sucker Brook watershed from sediment and debris. No specific threshold or ordinance amendment was proposed during the meeting.
St. John’s Court parking proposal advances
The Ordinance Committee voted 4-0 to send a proposed change to St. John’s Court parking rules to the full council for further consideration.
Parking is prohibited at all times on the west side of the street. On the east side, it’s prohibited from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. The restrictions affect people attending Gleaners Kitchen at St. John’s Episcopal Church.
A church representative said the meal program is serving about 2,000 meals per month, up from roughly 1,000 to 1,200, and needs more nearby parking. He said the church property has 12 parking spaces and that some people with mobility limitations struggle to reach the program when the lot is full.
The city manager said four of the five residential property owners on St. John’s Court oppose lifting the restriction. Their concerns include blocked driveways, traffic congestion and access for emergency vehicles.
The street is 24 feet wide, which officials said is sufficient for parking on one side and a travel lane. It wouldn’t allow two vehicles to pass side by side while another vehicle is parked.
Brown advised against striping individual spaces because the city doesn’t typically mark parking lanes on residential streets. Any change would instead rely on enforcement of existing rules against blocking driveways and fire hydrants.
City staff will draft an ordinance amendment for introduction at a full council meeting. The measure would then be tabled while the city schedules a public hearing, potentially in October, and notifies the surrounding property owners. The full council would decide whether to adopt the change after that process.
Staff to draft e-bike impoundment changes
The Ordinance Committee also asked city staff to prepare amendments addressing the impoundment of e-bikes and other bicycles used in repeated violations.
Canandaigua already requires riders to dismount bicycles, e-bikes and scooters on sidewalks in the downtown business district. Officials said the central problem is enforcement, not the absence of a downtown rule.
The police chief said officers frequently encounter juvenile riders and have difficulty addressing repeat violations because traffic tickets generally aren’t issued to children younger than 16. He said crashes involving e-bikes often occur when riders move quickly from sidewalks into crosswalks before drivers have time to react.
The city’s current ordinance allows police to seize a bicycle but doesn’t establish a redemption fee. It also limits the fine for a violation to $50.
Committee members reviewed laws from Pittsford and Geneva. Geneva’s ordinance establishes battery-powered vehicle redemption fees of $250 for a first offense, $500 for a second and $750 for later offenses, plus a $10 daily storage charge. Those amounts were discussed as an example but weren’t adopted by Canandaigua.
The chief said an impoundment and redemption system could give police another way to address repeat violations and involve the parents or guardians of juvenile riders. He also identified impaired operation and carrying multiple riders as issues that staff could examine.
Staff will return to the Ordinance Committee with draft language. Any amendment would require additional committee review before it could advance to the full council.
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