HomeMy WebLinkAboutAgenda - 06-23-2004-5nORANGE COUNTY
BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
ACTION AGENDA ITEM ABSTRACT
Meeting Date: June 23, 2004
Action Agenda
Item No. 5- n
SUBJECT: Approval of Orange County's Three-Year Solid Waste Plan Update
DEPARTMENT: County Manager/Solid Waste PUBLIC HEARING: (Y/N) No
ATTACHMENT(S):
Proposed BOCC Resolution
5/10/04 Chapel Hill Town Council
Resolution
Draft Solid Waste Management Plan 3-
Year Update (previously distributed
under separate cover)
INFORMATION CONTACT:
Jahn Link or Rod Visser, 245-2300
Gayle Wilson, Solid Waste Management
Director, 968-2885
TELEPHONE NUMBERS:
Hillsborough
Chapel Hill
Durham
Mebane
732-8181
968-4501
688-7331
336-227-2031
PURPOSE: To consider adopting a resolution that provides formal approval of the three-year
update of Orange County's Solid Waste Management Plan for submission to the State of North
Carolina,
BACKGROUND: At the February 17, 2004 regular meeting, the Board of Commissioners
conducted a public hearing on the County's proposed three-year update of the Solid Waste
Management Plan required by North Carolina state law, Fallowing the public hearing, the Board
voted to provide conceptual approval to the plan update, pending review and action of the
proposed update by the governing boards of the Towns of Carrboro, Chapel Hill, and
Hillsborough. Since the Solid Waste Management Department was transferred from the Town
of Chapel Hill to Orange County in April 2000, the County has been the lead agency relative to
plan development and submission, However, the Towns also maintain a formal role in the plan
approval process. The Towns of Carrboro and Hillsborough have since approved the three-
yearplan update as seen and endorsed by the BOCG.
The Chapel Hill Town Council discussed this topic at their meetings on April 14 and May 10,
2004, The Council indicated that it had several concerns about the solid waste plan update as
noted in their May 10 resolution, The Council appointed representatives to engage in
discussion with the Board of Commissioners about these concerns, which took place on June 7,
2004. That discussion was productive, and led to staff development of an outline for a process
under which the Town's concerns could be considered during the next year and addressed to
the extent possible in the next update to the Solid Waste Management Plan. Additional
discussion of the Town's concerns and steps that could help to address those was scheduled to
take place at the Board of Commissioners June 17 budget work session.
z
In 1997, the County and the three Tawns adopted a solid waste management plan which
included along-term waste reduction goal of 61 % per capita and a comprehensive plan for
achieving that goal. Plan development was based on a previous multiyear process that
involved a consultant assisting the governments and citizens' committee to develop three waste
reduction scenarios from which the governments developed the plan framework in 1996, The
resulting plan was further refined and submitted to the NC Department of Environment and
Natural Resources in 1997 as required by State statute, In addition to meeting the statutory
requirement, the planning document also served as the County's guideline for future solid waste
reduction planning and as a basis for projecting financial needs to meet those goals. In 2000,
the plan was updated and the same goals and plan framework were reaffirmed. This latest
update was due to the State in June 2003, but the County requested and received an extension
to that submission deadline.
FINANCIAL IMPACT: There is no financial impact related to conducting this discussion. The
financial impact of the actual solid waste management plan, however, is considerable and the
discussion could affect ongoing budgetary and alternative financing deliberations.
RECOMMENDATION(S): The Manager recommends that the Board discuss the proposed
solid waste plan update and approve the attached resolution, or a modified version thereof, for
submission to the State along with the solid waste plan update.
ORANGE COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS 3
A RESOLUTION AFFIRMING ORANGE COUNTY'S 10-YEAR SOLID WASTE
MANAGEMENT PLAN, INCLUDING A 61 PERCENT WASTE REDUCTION GOAL
WHEREAS, Orange County adopted in 1997 a general waste reduction plan framework as part
of its overall solid waste goals and adopted specific waste reduction goals of 45% per capita by
2001 and 61 % per capita by 2006, and
WHEREAS, Orange County achieved a 40% waste reduction rate in 2001-02 and 45% waste
reduction rate in 2002-2003, thus meeting its interim waste reduction goal of 45% and the State
goal of 40%, and
WHEREAS, this is recognized as the highest level of waste reduction in North Carolina, while
during the same period the State overall has experienced increases in waste disposed, and
WHEREAS, participation in Orange County waste reduction and recycling programs continue at
a high level, and
WHEREAS, the State of North Carolina does not contribute in any meaningful manner to
funding local government waste collection, waste disposal, or waste reduction programs or
services, and
WHEREAS, Orange County is considering alternative means of financing its solid waste
programs which it will likely implement in FY 2004-05, and
WHEREAS, significant concerns have been expressed by Chapel Hill related to
changes/revisions to this update, particularly as regards the elimination of the materials
processing facility and the elimination of major residential and commercial recycling program
expansions, and
WHEREAS Orange County must balance public investment in waste reduction with available
funding and its current success relative to the remainder of the State;
NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED by the Orange County Board of Commissioners that
Orange County is maintaining its long-term goal of 61 % waste reduction per capita; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that Orange County adopts the solid waste plan update attached
hereto and authorizes the County Manager to submit the plan to the State; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that Orange County pledges to reconsider recyclable material
collection and processing options that will enable County programs to expand the materials
currently collected to include mixed paper, allow for significant additional volumes of materials,
and increase recycling programs and services in the non-residential sector in order to delineate
a more clear means to achieve a waster reduction goal of 61 %, over a reasonable time period
for implementation.
This the 23rd day of June 2004.
MEMORANDUM
MEMORANDUM
TO: Mayor and Town Council
FROM: W. Calvin Horton, Town Manager
SUB.TECT: Orange County Solid Waste Management Plan Three-year Update
DATE: May 10, 2004
Page 1 of 3
O
AGENDA #8
The attached resolution would authorize the Mayor to communicate with the Orange County Board of
Commissioners to request further discussion of the proposed Orange County Solid Waste Management
Plan Tluee-year Update before it is submitted to the State.
BACKGROUND AND DISCUSSION
On December 17, 2003, we received from County Manager .Iohn Link a copy of Orange County's draft
of the Solid Waste Management Plan Three-year Update. Orange County has requested that the Town
of Chapel Hill endorse this plan as required by the State prior to submittal of the tluee-year update, On
April 14, .2004, the Town Council reviewed the plan and received public continent. The report includes
departures from the previous plan (for example: no materials recovery facility, no expansion of
recyclables collected nor expansion within commercial services). At the April 14 Council meeting and
at the April 29, 2004 meeting of the Orange County Assembly of Governments, a number of issues were
raised:
The plan does not consider the possibility of including the construction of a materials recovery
facility to handle both corruuingled recycled materials and additional materials generated from
existing and expanded programs.
. The elimination of a "materials recovery facility" from the plan means that there is no identified
way to achieve the Town's waste reduction and recycling goals, including no provision for
initiating and expanding commercial recycling programs. The plan also would not support the
Council's goal of keeping a "pay-as-you-tluow" residential refuse program as a possible future
option.
A $75.00 per year materials recovery fee is proposed to be charged to Chapel Hill citizens with no
expansion of services. We believe it would be helpful to have further discussion and explanation
of costs of urban curbside recycling services in relation to the fee being proposed for such
services.
In view of the issues outlined above, we believe that it would be appropriate to request further
discussion of the proposed solid waste management plan. We recommend that the Council authorize the
Mayor to communicate with the Board of County Commissioners, to initiate further discussion. We
recommend that the Council appoint representatives to meet with counterparts from the Board for these
discussions..
We recognize that the County is working toward submittal of a plan soon, and believe that initial
discussions should take place promptly. One approach to moving forward would be to request that the
http://towrrhalLtownofchapelhill.org/agendas/ca0405 1 0/8-Proposed%20Orange%20County, . 5/24/2004
MEMORANDUM Page 2 of 3
Plan be modified to call for further consideration of developing a materials recovery facility, with
discussions to take place during fiscal 2004-05, and with a final report of agreements reached to be
submitted by May of 2005, Such an approach would allow the County to submit a plan while holding
open the final resolution of issues regarding the Town's interest in a materials recovery facility.
RECOMMENDATION
We recommend the Council adopt the attached resolution authorizing the Mayor to communicate with
the Orange County Board of Commissioners to request further discussion of the proposed Orange
County Solid Waste Management Plan Three-year Update. The resolution also would call for the
Council to appoint representatives to participate in the discussion,
http://townhall.townofchapelhilL org/agendas/ca040510/8-Proposed%200range%ZOCounty... 5/24/2004
MEMORANDUM
Page 3 of.3
A RESOLUTION AUTHORIZING THE MAYOR TO COMMUNICATE WITH THE ORANGE
COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS REQUESTING ADDITIONAL DISCUSSION OF
THE PROPOSED ORANGE COUNTY SOLID WASTE MANAGEMENT PLAN THREE-YEAR
UPDATE (2004-05-10/R-IS)
WHEREAS, the Town Council has received and reviewed the proposed Orange County Solid Waste
Management Plan Three-year Update; and
WHEREAS, the Town Council wishes to have further discussion of two issues in the proposed Orange
County Solid Waste Management Plan Tluee-year Update including:
. The possibility of including the construction of a materials recovery facility to handle both
conuningled recycled materials and additional materials generated from existing and expanded
programs;
. The need fora $75A0 per month materials recovery fee as proposed to be charged to Chapel I-Iill
citizens; and
WHEREAS, the Town Council desires to have further discussion with the Orange County Boazd of
Commissioners about the proposed amended Solid Waste Management Plan and proposed materials
recovery fee before it is submitted to the State;
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED by the Council of the Town of Chapel Hill that the Council
authorizes the Mayor to conununicate with the Orange County Board of County Commissioners to
request further discussion with the Board concerning the Plan and fees and requests that the Board of
County Comrissioners authorizes representatives of the Boazd to meet with representatives of the Town
Council.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Council appoints ,and
to represent the Town in such discussions.
This the 10~~' day of May, 2004,
http://townhall ownofchapelhill.org/agendas/ca040510/8-Proposed%200range%20County,.. 5/24/2004