Untiring Efforts

Rows and rows of city vehicle tires were abandoned in this Southeast Austin field. (Photo by Jana Birchum)

In the wake of last week's Chronicle story about tires removed from city vehicles and abandoned in a field southeast of Downtown, the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality has initiated an investigation into the city's handling of the thousands of scrapped tires it generates each year, said TCEQ spokeswoman Andrea Morrow this week. Also this week, the city of Austin has placed one Fleet Services Division employee on administrative leave pending further investigation, and Chief Financial Officer Leslie Browder (who is ultimately in charge of Fleet Services) has pledged to city officials that action will be taken to properly dispose of the abandoned tires.

Last week, we reported on a mound of scrap tires that's been growing since 2003 (see "The Tire Mound of Mystery," Dec. 4). The state has a strict regulation-and-reporting scheme governing proper disposal of scrap tires, including a tracking manifest process that follows old tires from the time they're removed from a vehicle to their ultimate disposal – a system not unlike the chain-of-custody documentation required in a criminal prosecution. It appears, however, that the city of Austin's Fleet Services Division has not been complying with those environmental regulations – leading indirectly to an accumulation of thousands of tires on property leased by Victor Almaguer of Vic's Tire Service.

Almaguer says that for at least five years he has accepted scrap tires from city automotive service centers at the request of Fleet's Tire Program Manager Bill Janousek. Almaguer's business previously held a contract with the city to fix repairable tires but was not supposed to be hauling scrap tires. Almaguer told us that he has tried to get the city to pay him to properly dispose of the city tires he's accumulated – a job he estimates could cost as much as $50,000 – but says the city has not responded to his repeated requests for help or payment.

On Dec. 3, Morrow confirmed that the TCEQ is now looking into the situation. "It's fairly complicated, and because of the various aspects involved" – not only surveying the scene at Almaguer's property but also reviewing the manifest documents that are supposed to trace the final disposal of all of the city's scrapped tires – the investigation may take several weeks to complete. Mean­while, city spokesman Reyne Telles confirmed on Tuesday that Janousek has been placed on administrative leave while the investigation into the tire mound continues.

Scrapped tires pose health and safety risks – not only are they a breeding ground for mosquitoes, but they can represent a significant fire risk. However, Morrow told us that in the case of the tire mound at Alma­guer's, the risk of fire "is not a big concern." The site has been well-managed by Alma­guer, and any potential fire could be easily accessed and therefore suppressed by firefighters.

Contacted about the story, Mayor Lee Leffingwell and several City Council members told us that they were unaware that the city had been, effectively, dumping tires at Almaguer's property. "Obviously, I had no idea of our practices with regards to disposal of tires and am not pleased to read about it," Mayor Pro Tem Mike Martinez wrote in an e-mail. "We will ask staff for a response and follow up. And [will] take any corrective measures that are necessary." (On his Facebook page, Martinez opined that the city has "some major splaining to do.")

On Dec. 6, Browder sent a memo [PDF] to Lef­fing­well and the council to say that the city is "taking steps to quickly remove all of the tires" and to "ensure their proper disposal." The Austin Police Department has visited the "site of the tire mound," Browder wrote, and found that it does "contain tires with City of Austin markings." Although there are also tires there that "do not appear to have come from" the city, she wrote that the city would be taking steps to have all the tires removed. Fleet Services management "has been in touch" with the TCEQ "to ensure that they fully comply with recordkeeping requirements," Browder wrote, "and I will personally contact TCEQ, both by phone and in writing, of our plans to swiftly and properly dispose of the tires."