HomeMy WebLinkAboutAgenda - 12-03-2007-7aORANGE COUNTY
BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
ACTION AGENDA ITEM ABSTRACT
Meeting Date: December 3, 2007
Action Agenda
Item No. ~' A
SUBJECT: Report on the Development of Interim Solid Waste Management Plan
DEPARTMENT: Solid Waste Management PUBLIC HEARING: (Y/N) No
ATTACHMENT(S):
INFORMATION CONTACT:
SWAB Report of October 4, 2007 with Gayle Wilson, 968-2885
Adopted SWAB Resolution and
Outline
PURPOSE: To present information to the BOCC and receive feedback on the development of
an Interim Solid Waste Management Plan - 3-Year Update, for submission to the State, pending
completion of ongoing Solid Waste Planning Work Group process.
BACKGROUND: Each local government entity is required by state law to develop and submit a
10-Year Solid Waste Management Plan and update it every three years. Orange County, on
behalf of the County and municipalities, is responsible for preparation of such a plan that must
ultimately be adopted by each of the local governments prior to submission. The most recent
plan submitted by Orange County was June 2003. The County's new plan update was due
June 30, 2006.
In 2005, Orange County created a Solid Waste Management Planning Work Group that has
been meeting to perform a comprehensive review and modification of the existing plan, and to
consider additional means toward reaching the County's aggressive waste reduction goals.
This Work Group was created due to various concerns expressed primarily by the Town of
Chapel Hill over the draft plan the town was asked to consider at that time. The BOCC then
created the Work Group to conduct a comprehensive evaluation and overhaul of the local plan.
Over this time, the Work Group has met 13 times, the most recent of which was November 28,
2007. County staff and engineering consultants are conducting the analysis of options for the
integrated comprehensive plan.
Given the likelihood that the current County planning process will continue well into 2008, the
Solid Waste Advisory Board (SWAB) has recommended that an interim plan be produced,
acknowledging and describing the County's current comprehensive planning process, without
speculation as to outcomes or final recommendations. Staff concurs with this recommendation.
The interim plan would act as a placeholder that would allow Orange County governments to
become compliant with state regulations that require that an updated and locally adopted plan
be in place. Regaining regulatory compliance will allow Orange County to become eligible for
state grants and reduce the potential for environmental permitting delays or interruptions.
2
Should a municipality fail to endorse the interim plan, the BOCC could choose to proceed to
adopt and submit, with that municipality then becoming non-compliant.
Absent alternative direction from the BOCC, staff will proceed to:
• prepare a draft interim plan,
• submit the draft interim plan to the SWAB for review and comment,
• present the final draft to the BOCC for review and comment,
• assist the SWAB in sponsoring a public meeting to obtain public comments,
• revise the draft interim plan as necessary per public input,
• submit the draft interim plan to the Towns of Carrboro; Chapel Hill and Hillsborough for
comment and adoption, and
• present the draft interim plan to the BOCC for final adoption and authorization to submit
to the State.
FINANCIAL IMPACT: There are no financial expenditures anticipated relative to preparation of
- an interim plan.
RECOMMENDATION(S): The Manager recommends that the Board receive this report and
provide additional direction or guidance as necessary regarding development of an interim plan
for referral to each of the Orange County local governments for adoption and then to be
submitted to the State in order to achieve compliance with state law.
3
1Vlemorandum
To: Solid Waste Advisory Board
From: Gayle Wilson, Director, Solid Waste Management
Subject: Development of an Interim Solid Waste Management Plan
Date: October 4, 2007
Attachments: 2
Staff is becoming concerned about the length of time it is taking to develop the
comprehensive County-wide solid waste management plan. We are overdue by 20
months now with our submittal of the three-year update to the State, which was due June
30, 2006. Staff believes it prudent to consider development and submittal of an interim
plan now for approval by our local elected boards. This would allow us to comply with
State statutes without compromising the quality of the process we need to create an
effective long-term plan for Orange County and its municipalities.
Attached is a resolution that SWAB may wish to consider submitting to the Board of
Orange County Commissioners requesting preparation of an interim plan. An outline of
the proposed interim plan is also attached.
Developing an interim plan would serve several important purposes:
1. Compliance with state statutes, thus enabling Orange County to be eligible for
solid waste grant funds, for which we are not now eligible because we are out
of compliance.
2. Compliance with state statutes enabling Orange County to avoid delays or
suspensions for environmental permitting reviews and approvals which could
occur as a result of our non-compliant status.
3. Compliance with state statutes in order that Orange County not loose
eligibility for various solid waste related State reimbursements.
4. Creation of an updated interim plan allows our elected officials and the public
to see what has been accomplished since the solid waste plan was last updated
three years ago. There is quite a long list of developments and
accomplishments that should be pointed out in a public, organized way.
Because the plan has to be reviewed by each local government as well as at a
public hearing, we can use this opportunity to let people know about these
improvements in service and the issues facing us, without having to wait
another eight months for the report.
We understand that there may be some risk in developing an interim solid waste plan
update, such as it becoming in the focus of premature debate with respect to some
components/details of our current ongoing comprehensive study process or other ongoing
3
4
solid waste endeavor/activity. However, we trust that our interim report will be received
and considered just as we propose, as a "stop gap" measure to maintain compliance
without impairing our current planning process or precluding alternative courses of action
in the future. While the staff and consultants are proceeding with the plan element
reports and intend to present those next month to Work Group; we are aware that this
process is slow, deliberate and sometimes frustrating. An interim report is a chance to
show some progress while the bigger picture is taking shape.
We recommend that the Solid Waste Advisory Board submit the attached resolution to
the Board of Orange County Commissioners to approve development of an interim solid
waste plan as a `piaceholder' that allows us to comply with state statute without
compromising or rushing along the plan development process. We further request that the
Advisory Board offer recommendations on the plan outline presented as Attachment 2.
4
5
Attachment 1
A RESOLUTION REQUESTING AUTHORIZATION TO SUBMIT TO THE STATE
AN INTERIM THREE YEAR UPDATE TO THE TEN YEAR STATE SOLID WASTE
MANAGEMENT PLAN
WHEREAS, every three years each County must submit an update to its original ten year
approved solid waste management plan, and
WHEREAS Orange County has not submitted its current three year update due June 30,
2006 because local officials desire to conduct a comprehensive reexamination of
community waste management priorities, and
WHEREAS the County has initiated a deliberate, transparent and thorough planning
process involving ail four local governments as well as UNC, thus causing a longer
planning period, and
WHEREAS development of the scheduled, comprehensive three-year update will not be
complete for at least eight more months and
WHEREAS an interim plan would bring Orange County into compliance, enabling State
reimbursements and grant eligibility and avoiding delays or suspensions of environmental
permitting reviews and approvals, and
WHEREAS an interim plan would provide an opportunity for our elected officials and
public to become aware of local waste management accomplishments since the last plan
was adopted and to become aware of the local comprehensive planning process underway
THEREFORE NOW BE IT RESOLVED the Solid Waste Advisory Board requests that
the Board of Orange County Commissioners authorize staff to prepare an interim report,
which, while primarily descriptive in nature, also lays out the elements and sequence of
the planning process that will result in the more complete plan update in 2008.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that this interim plan would be presented for public input
as required by State Statute.
This is the 4~' of October 2007.
~ ~~~~
6
Attachment 2
Outline of Solid Waste Interim Three-Year Update Report
(this update follows the structure of the 2003 update as the State has provided no
additional guidance on this plan update process)
Executive Summary
In this section we will primarily discuss what has been accomplished since the last
submittal in August 2004, along with a brief description of why we are submitting an
interim plan and further describe the upcoming more comprehensive planning process,
elements and projected outcomes with respect to disposal and recycling tonnages. It will
include an updated goal calculation for the ten year target of 2016-17.
Chapter I
Solid Waste Data from 2005-06 and 2006-07.
This chapter will show all solid waste tonnage and budgetary information from the fiscal
year when the report was to have been submitted and, because we have it, data from the
most recent year.
Chapter II
Major New- Solid Waste Activities:
This chapter will describe County and Town solid waste management activities by sector
over the three years (actually four) since the last update: recycling and waste reduction,
MSW management, C&D management, Hazardous Waste Management, Planning
activities.
Chapter III
Interim Solid Waste Planning Update
Evaluation of Program Performance
Financing
Disposal Options and Intergovernmental Cooperation
Location of Solid Waste Management Facilities
Chapter IV
Summary of Comprehensive Plan Development Procedure and Key Plan Elements
This chapter will outline the current state of plan development, the projected decision
making sequence and elements to be decided on, element integration into a unified plan
and how to finance the overall comprehensive plan.
6
Appendices: include descriptive materials, .
Per the State Plan Outline, the various appendices will be detailed planning element
sheets required in the report that address:
A. Reduction at the source,
B. Solid waste collection,
C. Recycling and reuse,
D. Composting and mulching,
E. Incineration,
F. Transfer of waste out of the area,
G. Disposal capacity,
H. Education in community and schools,
I. Special wastes including tires, white goods, yard waste, etc
J. Illegal disposal/litter,
K. Purchasing Recycled products,
L. Disaster response.
7