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HomeMy WebLinkAboutSWAB minutes 051304 Minutes - Regular Meeting Solid Waste Advisory Board May 13 2004 Approved September 9, 2004 Attendance : Bonnie Norwood, Randy Kabrick, Al Vickers, Jan Sassaman, and B J Tipton Staff : Gayle Wilson, Blair Pollock, Wanda McCain, Rebecca Holdway, Rob Taylor, and Paul Spire 1 . Adoption of Minutes from March 11 Norwood moves to adopt . Vickers 2nd Passes unanimously . 2 . Waste Reduction, Reuse, Recycling Fee Status (Wilson introduces staff member Rob Taylor, Recycling Programs Manager . ) Wilson states that a presentation was made on the fee to the Town of Hillsborough last week . There was no criticism; they just wanted to know what was going on . We updated them the best we could . Next Thursday the Town of Carrboro will [hear a presentation on] the fee . The Town of Chapel Hill has some issues with the fee as well as with the [Solid Waste Management] Plan . The Town [Chapel Hill] passed a resolution authorizing the Mayor to communicate with the BOCC . The fee is still going forward and is still apart of the budget submission . There is a public hearing on the fee scheduled for May 27, with the County . The Commissioners have said they will make a decision on June 8 . Sassaman states that the fee can be adopted without the approval of any of the Towns . Wilson states ' yes' . This is one area in the interlocal agreement where the SWAB has a specific authority . As long as the SWAB and the Commissioners are in agreement it can proceed . Kabrick asks if the [Chapel Hill] Town Council understand this . Sassaman states that they were told that on different occasions . Wilson states that the more that people outside of Chapel Hill understand that they have been subsidizing Chapel Hill [recycling] services for years, that may cause other difficulties . The private sector and those in the unincorporated areas have been subsidizing the municipalities since recycling has been implemented . I understand the reluctance due to budget problems like the storm water fee, but at some point they will have to concede that a fee ( or other supplemental financing mechanism) is necessary . It has been coming for years; there have been committees, newspaper articles, and minutes from the Landfill Owners Group that prove it has been openly discussed . Vickers asks if it was at the Carrboro meeting where it was discussed if recycling could go to every other week . 1 Minutes - Regular Meeting Solid Waste Advisory Board May 13, 2004 Approved September 9, 2004 Pollock states that it was brought up at the Assembly of Governments meeting . There isn ' t that type of relationship between recycling costs and frequency of servi rice . Currently [for] those living inside town limits , [the County] pays $3 . 57 per house / month for weekly pickup and the County pays $1 . 96 per house / month for every other week pickup . Sassaman states that if the Towns went to every- other-week the trucks would fill up fast and possibly double the number of vehicles . Wilson states that there are a number of bad consequences . In addition to what you' ve mentioned, a number of people would stop recycling because it' s no longer convenient . The drop - off sites would be overwhelmed . Only bad operational consequences could result from that . Wilson states that the fee is still alive . There is at least a 50 / 50 chance that we will get something . It' s not clear if they will go with part tax part fee or go with the recommendation . I think they will provide some revenue . Sassman states that in our earlier discussions we looked at a mixed stream where there was a baseline tax with a fee attached to that . The Towns wouldri t like that . Wilson states that the Towns would lose under any scenario according to their perspective . There is a reason why the services are there . There is a " Willie Sutton" [phenomenon] . If you want to recycle you have to go where the garbage is and the garbage is in the municipalities . Sassaman asks staff if they saw the memo from Bruce Heflin. Kabrick replies ' yes' . [Cal] Horton [Chapel Hill Town Manager] references the SWAB ' s recommendation. Wilson states that they have some other agenda and we are getting some of the spillover . As far as the Plan goes they seem to have a little more of an argument . There appears to have been less than adequate consultation about the substantive changes . It is a confusing situation . Sassaman states that the perception of the Council meeting was that there was confusion between the Plan and the fee . They did not separate the two in their discussion . 2 Minutes - Regular Meeting Solid Waste Advisory Board May 13 , 2004 Approved September 9, 2004 Pollock states that both of them hit at the same time . The other thing is that it is required in the Plan that there be a financial discussion of how you are going to finance services . One of the finishing touches on the plan would be including the financial analyses and the fee scenarios . So they ' re not completely off base fusing the two issues . Strategically maybe you [Chapel Hill reps] could sit down with them [the Chapel Hill elected officials] and say that the plan can be revisited . Wilson states that they have been clear on that . It has been stated in writing and in person . Sassaman states that it was recommended that they recommend the Plan as it is recognizing that it was less than perfect and immediately start working on the next Plan . Norwood states that in speaking to the neighbors about the fee I've had to remind them that this is the result of when we fought against another landfill . Unless you know of someone that wants a landfill in their backyard, we have to pay for these programs . Wilson states that we will just have to wait and see how it plays out . Kabrick states that there are two issues . The Town needs to separate the fee and the Plan . Let ' s get the plan off the deck and revisit that . The fee seems to be taking a life of it' s own . If the Commissioners vote for the fee as proposed and the SWAB has voted the fee as proposed, the Town Council has to go away . Do they understand that ? Vickers states that Town Council will have the opportunity to complain about the fee as being unreasonable and unjust and try to focus all the activity on the County imposed fee and not the Towri s stormwater fee . Wilson states that the press seems to understand what is going on and has been supportive with their editorials . Kabrick states that he will be having lunch with Bill Strom [Chapel Hill Councilman] and asks if it would help to mention this to him . Pollock states that Strom is the primary proponent of the Town getting rid of commercial waste collection . The [Chapel Hill] Town attorney ' s interpretation of the interlocal agreement leans toward that once it is no longer in a Town truck it' s no longer the Towri s garbage and it can go anywhere . 3 Minutes - Regular Meeting Solid Waste Advisory Board May 13, 2004 Approved September 9, 2004 Kabrick asks what drives Strom toward the position . Pollock states that my understanding of his position is that it is the responsibility of the business to get rid of their waste . On another level it is a way to avoid a bigger tax increase by reducing services . Wilson states that things got off track back in February when they had the opportunity to hear a detailed presentation that laid the foundation of why we were doing this . They have been operating in the dark without sufficient information . Sassaman states that you [Kabrick] should stress that with Strom. One of the things that they bumped around was that the fee structure does not allow them to adopt a pay- as -you-throw . This has nothing to do with garbage . Spire states that the perception at the meeting [Assembly of Governments] was that Chapel Hill felt because the MRF was taken out of the plan they did not have a way to expand recycling at the curb . Therefore they did want to approve the plan and the fee [just] happened to be there [as part of the discussion] . Wilson states that may be true, but they seem to not be willing to pay for the services they have now . How will they fund a new expanded recycling program? There are two separate arguments that are closely linked . Sassaman states that one of the issues that came up was about those people that would not be able to afford the fee . Wilson states that the Commissioners raised that issue also . They are modifying an existing program to help people based on the EMS ambulance appeal [procedure] . If you receive an ambulance bill that you cant afford to pay, you can go into an application process, prove your income and the County has a pool of money where they will make the payment for you . This system will be set up for fee also . Everything would be done through social services . This would take the air out of that argument . Norwood asks for clarification for collecting fees and taxes . Wilson states that with taxes you have the full range of mechanisms that local governments have in collecting . This particular fee has fewer options than the availability fee for collection. The analysis assumes if the fee goes out on the tax bill we will expect an 88 % return. If the decision is delayed and there is a separate billing the revenue collector says we will be lucky to get 70 % . There is still a lot of work to do . 4 Minutes - Regular Meeting Solid Waste Advisory Board May 13, 2004 Approved September 9, 2004 3 . 2004-05 SWAB Priorities Sassaman reads goals stated in " Orange County Advisory Boards and Commissions Input for County Commissioners' Planning Retreat" . Are these things we want to do this year ? Vickers asks if we are ready for the issue regarding the location of a waste transfer station now . Wilson states that it is something that could be delayed another year . Vickers states that you are not going to get the powers to be to listen to you unless it' s an immediate issue for them . Wilson states that they are not going to be interested in going through a siting process . They will probably go with this site . Kabrick asks where do we encompass the redraft of the plan . Is that part of this list? Wilson states that will be the result of the meeting of the [Chapel Hill Town] Council and Commissioners . Sassaman asks Wilson what does he want from the SWAB . Wilson states that some of the things the department will be doing are • moving toward opening a full land clearing and processing facility not a landfill in the county, • implementing the fee, • hearing appeals for the fee, • designing a recycling center for Southern Village, • designing and construction of the new solid waste administration building, • evaluating the way the county provides solid waste services, with the likelihood of the Sanitation Division of Public Works becoming a part of this Department, • taking over rural curbside program • relocating the Hillsborough recycling center • reevaluating the Solid Waste Management Plan You can pick of those that you want to get involved in. Sassaman asks what do you want us to get involved in. Wilson states that it is essential that you all stay involved into the issue of the solid waste management plan. 5 Minutes - Regular Meeting Solid Waste Advisory Board May 13 , 2004 Approved September 9, 2004 Tipton suggests that the SWAB members go back to Chapel Hill , Carrboro, and Hillsborough and ask what their concerns are to try and get some measurable goal through holding a planning session or information session with some visual interpretation of the plan . Vickers states that the first priority should be to start addressing the next version of the solid waste plan . Kabrick states that Tipton s outreach idea is good . We 've first got to get our constituency up to speed and engaged . We may not be able to do all four jurisdictions at once so we should look at each individually and need a plan of action to implement BJ ' s recommendation . Wilson states that in order to develop your action plan, you will need to wait a few weeks to see what direction things take after the County and Town talk . There also may be some things that come up related to the fee that weren ' t thought of before . Sassaman states that we need to put this into a plan of action so that we understand what we need to be doing as a group . Wilson states that the priority should be assisting to the extent possible, leading if possible, the dialog and debate and discussion and understanding related to the revision of the solid waste management plan consistent with the goal that everyone agrees to . [This involves] revisiting the plan and restructuring it so that there is a meaningful opportunity to accomplish the goal . Sassaman asks Tipton to put what she was explaining into words . Kabrick states that his understanding of Tipton s suggestion was to work to educate our constituency using a twenty minute road map of the plan [from a 75 page professional technical report] that gets people to the same level we are . Sassaman clarifies the goals . • Revisit and restructure the plan as needed to achieve a meaningful road map to achieve our goal . • Develop a plan to educate our constituency with our vision of the plan and road map . • Offer input as needed on the fees to alternative financing Wilson states that there may be other things throughout the year that may need you assistance also . 6 Minutes - Regular Meeting Solid Waste Advisory Board May 13, 2004 Approved September 9, 2004 4 . Program/Services Update Fiscal Year 2004105 Budget — Update Wilson states that the mi ram tted which includes : takeover of the rural curbside program in budget has been sub the spring, improvements at the landfill like paving of haul roads to cut down dust, revenue from the fee, a nominal amount of money to continue working on the data base for the fee, a nominal amount to expand the curbside program to include dry cell batteries, purchase of a bulldozer and truck, money to build the new Hillsborough drop - off site and the fees at the landfill stay the same . Sassaman asks when the battery collection might start . Taylor states that there is no target date . 3 - Year Solid Waste Management Plan — Status Previously discussed in Item 2 Assembly of Governments — Update Previously discussed in Item 2 Other None 5 . Other Business None Norwood moves to adjourn . Vickers 2nd Adjourn 8 : 50 pm Next meeting : June 10, 2004 Hillsborough 7