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make it known to the public that this tax is not on food. She wants to engage partners to <br /> advocate for this. <br /> Commissioner McKee asked if any other item would be on the ballot outside of the <br /> cities and it was answered most likely not. His concern is that the turnout is usually low in <br /> District 2 when there are no other items on the ballot. <br /> Commissioner Gordon said that she is doubtful that any tax would pass this year <br /> (2011). She would like to have a strategy in place that is different from last time if this is <br /> placed on the ballot. <br /> Commissioner Hemminger said that she is in support of trying this again. <br /> Commissioner Foushee said that she would not want this item to get caught up in the <br /> 2012 national election. <br /> Chair Pelissier spoke to Commissioner McKee and said that a strong education <br /> component would be crucial in the rural areas to make sure people understood the importance <br /> of this. <br /> Commissioner McKee said that historically speaking, off-year elections are low turnout. <br /> He said that having this in 2012 would be better because there would be a better turnout. <br /> Chair Pelissier said that the majority of the Board is interested in pursuing this and she <br /> referred to the Manager for direction on when the Board can have a discussion. <br /> Frank Clifton said that the recommendation is that the Board makes a recommendation <br /> to commit the revenues for a lengthy period of time (nothing less than ten years). He said that <br /> the earliest time to discuss this would be the April 5th or 19th meeting. <br /> Commissioner Jacobs said that he would like to have this decided before the budget <br /> public hearings. <br /> Chair Pelissier said that she would like to be more specific about some of the economic <br /> development issues than last time. She had a lot of questions from the public about what <br /> exactly the money would be used for. <br /> Commissioner Gordon said that, if this is done, then the education should be started <br /> sooner and there should be more specificity. She needs evidence that it will be different this <br /> time. <br /> 3. Solid Waste Convenience Center Improvements Proposal <br /> Solid Waste Director Gayle Wilson said that a work session in November, there was <br /> discussion about improving Solid Waste Convenience Centers. The Board gave the staff <br /> some guidance on further discussion. Some of the guidance was the tiered approach where <br /> both sectors of the County that would be known to utilize convenience centers more would be <br /> charged a higher rate and the urban area would be charged a little less. If this were to <br /> proceed, there would need to be a public education outreach process. The Board also <br /> expressed continued interest in hours of operation for the centers. He made a PowerPoint <br /> presentation. <br /> Orange County SWCC Work Group Recommendations <br /> Solid Waste Convenience Centers —Approach <br /> - Location <br /> o Larger district centers —two locations <br /> o Smaller neighborhood centers —three locations <br /> - Design <br /> o Add compactors for efficiency <br /> o Increase recycling opportunities <br />