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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMinutes - 19991109APPROVED 2/14/2000 MINUTES ORANGE COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS WORK SESSION NOVEMBER 9, 1999 The Orange County Board of Commissioners met in regular session on Tuesday, November 9, 1999 at 7:30 p.m. in the Government Services Center in Hillsborough, North Carolina. COUNTY COMMISSIONERS PRESENT: Chair Alice M. Gordon and Commissioners Margaret W Brown, Moses Carey, Jr., Stephen H. Halkiotis, and Barry Jacobs COUNTY ATTORNEY PRESENT: Geoffrey Gledhill COUNTY STAFF PRESENT: County Manager John M. Link, Jr., Assistant County Managers Rod Visser and Albert Kittrell, and Clerk to the Board Beverly A. Blythe. 1. SOLID WASTE MATTERS a. 60 Acre Greene Tract Portion Set Aside as Solid Waste Management Site John Link made reference to the agenda abstract. He said that the most important thing is to discuss the decision made by the Chapel Hill Town Council last evening. He made reference to the color- coded sheets provided in the agenda packet. He made reference to page two of the memorandum to the Mayor and Town Council from the Town Manager and the fact that once a new zoning district is created by the Chapel Hill Town Council (by amending the text of the Development Ordinance), rezoning of land to the new district would need to go through a separate process that involved a Joint Public Hearing with the Orange County Commissioners. Following the hearing, both the Chapel Hill Town Council and the Orange County Board of Commissioners, in separate actions, would need to consider the rezoning proposal. He made reference to the ordinance that was adopted by the Chapel Hill Town Council last evening eight to one (green sheet). He said that the ordinance provides for the amendment that allows the rezoning process. The next resolution (purple sheet), which would not have included the Greene and Neville Tracts for solid waste uses in the future, was not passed. The last resolution (beige sheet) was offered by Julie McClintock which asked the Board of County Commissioners to consider alternate sites. This resolution did not pass, but the Town Council is going to send a letter from the Mayor to the Board of County Commissioners with these sentiments expressed. John Link said that, in terms of process, the transfer of operations of solid waste could still occur based on the timeline in early March. He suggested having a public hearing prior to that time. It has been assumed that the 60 acres would be the upper portion of the Greene Tract. However, the interlocal agreement does call for the three governmental bodies to agree on which 60 acres would be used for solid waste matters. Commissioner Carey said that although Chapel Hill included the map that shows the 60 acres in the northern part, there is nothing in the decision that was made that required this specific 60 acres. John Link said that it was his understanding that this particular 60 acres in the northern part was not required. Gayle Wilson said that the particular 60 acres is the only one that has been discussed, but he does not think it is binding. Chair Gordon made reference to the Interlocal agreement on attachment 1a, page 3, under the effective date, and also the next page (page 8), in the third paragraph. She said that it is her understanding that the County has not been in discussions with Chapel Hill as to which 60 acres would be used for solid waste uses. She said that all three jurisdictions; Orange County, Chapel Hill, and Carrboro; had to be in agreement as to which 60 acres would be designated. Commissioner Jacobs reminded the Board that an environmental assessment. an archeological assessment, and an engineering assessment needed to be done on the property. Commissioner Halkiotis said that the lower left-hand portion of the property is basically gone. He asked John Link how the management felt about the decisions made last evening at the Chapel Hill Town Council meeting. John Link said that he has concerns about the impact of the buffers that were set. This will be an item on November 22nd Commissioner Brown asked about the map and the dark area and Rod Visser explained this to her satisfaction. John Link said that on November 22nd the staff would come back with a recommendation on the 60 acres and also a timeline for taking over solid waste management activities. He said that the staff could also walk the property and explain some of the rationale behind the boundary lines of the 60 acres. Commissioner Jacobs asked John Link to check on a time for a joint public hearing. b. Construction and Demolition Waste Recycling and Disposal Options John Link made reference to the table of contents of the report. He said that the table of contents gives the status of the current operations for C&D. He asked that the Board consider pursuing the temporary option #3, amending the existing C&D landfill permit to allow modest vertical expansion, and also the long-term options as listed in the report. Commissioner Carey asked what kind of permitting process would option #3 require. Gayle Wilson said the process would consist of preparing a letter with a drawing of the proposed new final contours and sending this letter to the state engineers for review. The letter would be sent back to the County granting an amendment to the C&D permit. Chair Gordon suggested discussing the temporary options. Commissioner Carey agreed with the County Manager's recommendation of moving ahead with expanding the County's current permit. This would give the County an additional two years to site a new C&D site. The Board agreed by consensus to instruct Gayle Wilson, Solid Waste Manager, to proceed with the amendment to the existing C&D landfill permit to allow modest vertical expansion. Commissioner Halkiotis made reference to the C&D Transfer Station. He said that the County needs to capitalize on the spirit of working together regionally on solid waste management. He specifically would like to meet with Durham County and Durham City officials. He feels that there needs to be a political initiative attached to this objective. Chair Gordon said that the Durham-Chapel Hill work group has been meeting for years. At one meeting she brought up improving interrelationships and the work group thought it was a great idea and plan to pursue this early next year. She agrees with setting up a meeting with Durham County and Durham City and having at least two Commissioners attend. Commissioner Jacobs said that he has some concerns about continuing to bury C&D in an unlined landfill. He is willing to do this for a short period of time but not long term. He agrees with the eighteen- month extension but not for any longer than that unless the landfill is lined. Chair Gordon asked if the Board wanted to consider temporary option #4, hauling C&D to the Durham Transfer Station. Commissioner Carey said that there needs to be discussions on the political level. He feels there should be several short-term options that could be pursued while considering a long-term option. Gayle Wilson explained the difference between transferring trash and C&D waste. He said that C&D waste requires a much heavier trailer and increases the hauling costs tremendously. Commissioner Brown made reference to page one, second to the last paragraph and asked about the two categories, specifically the management of C&D that must be buried. She said that she did not know there was C&D that must be buried. Gayle Wilson said that this was referring to C&D that cannot be otherwise recycled or reduced, it is what is remaining. Commissioner Brown asked for clarification on the transferring of C&D. Gayle Wilson said that the cost of hauling C&D is higher because less waste could be carried. He said that Chatham County's private transfer station would accept C&D. Also, Lee County has a C&D landfill, so much of Chatham County's C&D could go to the permitted landfill and save money rather than going to the transfer station. Commissioner Jacobs asked if Durham also ships C&D waste and Gayle Wilson said yes. truck. Commissioner Jacobs asked if shipping C&D by rail is more expensive than shipping C&D by Gayle Wilson explained why it is very expensive to ship by rail. He said that there needed to be large quantities of waste to make it worthwhile to ship by rail. Commissioner Brown suggested pulling out of this report those things that the task force could address. She asked about the reduction of C&D waste, specifically the reduction of pallets in the report. Blair Pollard said that pallets represent about 2% of the C&D waste. The estimate for removal of pallets is based on projection from the first quarter of this year and the last three quarters of last year, which has been the best period for pallet removal. He said that pallets could be regulated to reduce this type of waste. C&D. Commissioner Brown said that Habitat for Humanity was very interested in helping out with Blair Pollard said that the Wake County Habitat for Humanity was a client of theirs. John Link suggested that the C&D task force could take a look at some of the economic issues that the staff has addressed, for example, a lined C&D facility would cost ten times what an unlined facility would cost. He said that the eighteen-month extension of the present C&D site allows the buildup of the reserve fund to the point where the transfer station could be pursued. Commissioner Jacobs made reference to the report and said that although there may not be net cost there may be net savings on the different options available. He suggested looking at using some of the waste for compacting for NCDOT private roads. Commissioner Halkiotis said that new playground equipment was just installed at the new Efland Cheeks Community Center Park and the cushioning material is made out of recycled pallets. Commissioner Jacobs made reference to a tub grinder and alternatives to open burning. He clarified that the Solid Waste Manager rents a large tub grinder twice a year to grind debris. He said that it is feasible to recover some of the costs of C&D recycling by grinding debris for resale. Commissioner Brown suggested taking C&D materials and separating them into different categories for different uses. Gayle Wilson said that this is an idea worth pursuing. Chair Gordon asked about the other temporary options for C&D waste. Commissioner Brown said that she feels C&D materials should be accepted but it just needs to be managed. There was a consensus to delete temporary option #2, which is suspension of acceptance of C&D. Commissioner Carey does not feel that C&D waste should be put into the solid waste landfill. Commissioner Halkiotis said that he would like the Board to keep the 1.3 million dollars in mind. He feels that the C&D issue should be considered holistically. The Board discussed using the C&D site on Eubanks Road for 12 years. The basic development costs would be the same whether or not they would use it for one year or 12 years. Commissioner Jacobs said that he feels a timeframe needs to be developed with decision points on making the solid waste management decisions. Chair Gordon asked how the Board would like to proceed with this issue. Commissioner Carey does not feel a lot of progress could be made on the long term decisions before the County Commissioners receive some recommendation from the Solid Waste Advisory Committee. permit. Chair Gordon asked when the Board could find out about the eighteen-month extension of the Gayle Wilson said that he hopes to know before the holidays. John Link confirmed that there is an 80% chance of receiving the permit for extension of the present C&D site. He said that if the permit was not received, the emergency measure would be to put C&D in the solid waste landfill. The message is that the citizens of Grange County are going to pay for protecting the environment. He said that, in regards to a timeframe, the Solid Waste Advisory Committee could submit a preliminary report within three months after they begin to meet. site. Commissioner Brown would like some information on a timeline for developing an inert debris Gayle Wilson said that the rules and regulations would have to be researched, and then a site search would be conducted. John Link said that in April at a Board of County Commissioners work session the Board could decide on what they want to do long term for C&D. By this time, there should be enough information from the staff and task force findings to make a long-term decision. He asked for the Board to authorize the staff to move ahead with beginning the process of permitting the Eubanks Road site for a C&D site. This was approved by consensus. Commissioner Brown asked how the Board of County Commissioners would keep track of solid waste activities. Chair Gordon said that part of this depends on what the Solid Waste Advisory Committee does. Commissioner Jacobs suggested that two Commissioners put in more time than the rest to track solid waste activities. The Board suggested tracking solid waste decisions. John Link said that based on the tentative calendar, the Board of County Commissioners has work sessions on March 20th and April 11tH c. "Future Search" - Solid Waste Management TJCOG "Future Search" Process Public Works Director Wilbert McAdoo made a presentation. He said that the Future Search is a set of tasks which leads a diverse group of people through a process of examining the issue of solid waste, identifying common ground, and coming up with specific action steps for addressing the issue. He said that this process has been highly effective in a lot of other regions in North Carolina. The Future Search process contains four elements as follows: community, context, common ground, and commitment. The result of the process is that the system is evaluated holistically. He said that the state has committed to provide funding for the Future Search process. He said that in order for the process to be successful, key people including County Commissioners and staff would need to participate. The event is scheduled for February 23, 2000, 4-8 p.m.; February 24, 2000, 8 a.m. - 5 p.m.; and the morning of February 25, 2000. He said that the TJCOG is asking the Commissioners to participate in the Future Search by endorsing the concept, committing the solid waste staff and Manager, one member of the proposed Solid Waste Advisory Board, and two elected officials to participate in the Future Search event. He said that Lee, Durham, Chatham, Wake, and Johnston Counties have committed to participate. Also, Chapel Hill, Durham, and Cary have committed to participate. Commissioner Brown said that it seems a little vague and asked what the outcome of the Future Search would be. John Link said that he thinks the Future Search is something worth pursuing and he would commit to it. Commissioner Halkiotis feels that the initiative by TJCOG needs to be pursued by the state. He would like to get involved. He feels that it is very vague. Wilbert McAdoo explained that the process is vague because Triangle J wants this to be an open process with everyone bringing forth ideas and deciding the common ground. this effort. Commissioner Carey feels that Orange County is a part of the region and should participate in The Board endorsed this process. Board of County Commissioners "Next Steps" Commissioner Jacobs said that the County needs to inform all entities who need to make appointments to the Solid Waste Advisory Committee. Commissioner Carey said that he feels that this new role will be quite different than the old Landfill Owners Group's role in solid waste issues and activities. Chair Gordon asked if the Board wanted to wait until the County takes over solid waste management for the Solid Waste Advisory Committee to begin meeting. Commissioner Halkiotis said that there needs to be a very careful selection of members on the Solid Waste Advisory Committee. Chair Gordon asked what would happen if the Solid Waste Advisory Committee did not come together until after the County takes over solid waste management. John Link suggested that staff list issues that are the purview of staff, Board of County Commissioners, and Solid Waste Advisory Committee. Also, the relationship between the staff and the advisory board should be delineated. Commissioner Carey said that we do not necessarily need to wait until the County assumes solid waste management before appointing members to the Solid Waste Advisory Committee. John Link said that the Board of County Commissioners should set the parameters for the Solid Waste Advisory Committee prior to the first meeting. The Clerk will contact the other jurisdictions and ask them to make appointments to the Solid Waste Advisory Committee as soon as possible. d. Owner's Request to Relocate High Rock Road Solid Waste Convenience Center John Link summarized this information. This is an agenda item on the November meeting agenda. The request is to move the High Rock Road solid waste convenience center 1,000 feet further northwest on High Rock Road. Additional recycling services would be allowed by the relocation of this site such as a salvage shed. 2. DISCUSSION OF PREPARATIONS FOR COMMISSIONERS' ANNUAL GOAL SETTING RETREAT The Board discussed the date for the goal setting retreat. The Board decided to have the retreat on January 20, 2000 from 3:00-9:45 p.m. at the Southern Human Services Center. Chair Gordon suggested having the Boards and Commissions submit their goals and put them in a briefing notebook. The Board will let the Boards and Commissions know if a presentation needs to be made. The Boards and Commissions will be encouraged to make information in the briefing notebook self explanatory so that a presentation at the retreat is not necessary. Commissioner Halkiotis would like to see a one-page administrative summary for each group. John Link will develop a form for the one-page administrative summary and the Board will then send the form out with letters. Commissioner Carey said that the form should include recommendations for the year in priority order. Commissioner Brown and Commissioner Jacobs would like to know how what the Boards and Commissions are requesting relates to the Board of County Commissioners' goals. Chair Gordon suggested starting out with a Financial Update and then look at updating and prioritizing goals. Commissioner Jacobs suggested talking about internal board structure. He would also like to have a free flowing conversation about what the Board wants to change, what the Board is doing, what should be improved, how there can be fewer meetings, and future options on conducting business. Commissioner Halkiotis would like to have a discussion on how the Board of County Commissioners can have an impact on legislative initiatives. Commissioner Brown would like to talk about internal organization of the Commissioners and the rules and regulations. Commissioner Jacobs would like to look at legislative goals and put them in priority order. He would like the Commissioners to be more active in getting federal funding. He would like to spend some time organizing the Board's objectives. Chair Gordon said, regarding how there could be fewer meetings, since the County is taking over solid waste management it would be hard to reduce the number of meetings. 3= ORANGE COUNTY TRANSPORTATION PRIORITIES The Board of County Commissioners basically endorsed this priority list. 4. DURHAM URBAN GROWTH BOUNDARY DISCUSSION Chair Gordon explained this item. She said that Durham wants to enter into discussions with Orange County about the Durham urban growth boundary and how it affects Orange County. She would like to see a map of where the growth is in Orange County and where it overlays the Orange County Land Use Plan. The Board received this report for information only at this time. 6. CLOSED SESSION A motion was made by Commissioner Halkiotis, seconded by Commissioner Carey to go into closed session to discuss the County's position and to instruct the County Manager and County Attorney on the negotiating position regarding the terms of a contract to purchase real property", NCGS 143- 318.11(a)(5). VOTE: UNANIMOUS 6. ADJOURNMENT A motion is made by Commissioner Halkiotis, seconded by Commissioner Carey to adjourn the meeting. The next regular meeting will be held on November 16, 1999 at 7:30 p.m. in the Boardroom of the Southern Human Services Center in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. Alice M. Gordon, Chair Beverly A. Blythe, Clerk