Minutes - 20030127 - Laserfiche WebLink

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Tipping fee revenues have been reduced due to waste reduction Regarding disposal, the County is developing a new C&D landfill, the MSW landfill will be closing in 2009 and this surplus revenue will be lost, a transfer station is needed, and there is leakage of waste to local out-of-county facilities. The options considered by the SWAB are to fund current projected shortfall between future expenditures and revenues, improve public understanding of general costs of solid waste services, and assure supplemental funding will be available in the 2003-04 budget. Other options include property taxes {including district tax), availability fees, combination of property tax and fees, and Prince William County, VA Fee Model (includes prepaid MSW disposal fee). The hypothetical tax increase is 2.5 cents per $100 valuation for next year. In FY 2008-09 with the closing of the landfill, the increase will be 3.5 cents per $100 valuation. Commissioner Gordon asked what we were trying to pay for. Gayle Wilson said that we were trying to pay for the difference between the revenue generated by the program and services in the enterprise fund and the overall expenditures. They are trying to fund the shortfall between the revenues and expenditures. The reason for the shortfall is the recycling program. All of the other disposal programs fund themselves. Gayle Wilson continued by highlighting the key issues identified by the SWAB. These include education and outreach, waste dynamics, implementation and administration, and finances. Commissioner Gordon asked about the model in Prince William County, Virginia. Gayle Wilson said that the Solid Waste Director from Prince William County came to a SWAB meeting and made a presentation. Prince William County uses an availability fee, but part of the fee is a prepaid refuse disposal cost. This means that once you prepay your disposal cost, there is no benefit to going outside the county to dispose of your material because you are going to have to pay again. The tipping fee would be a part of the annual fee. Commissioner Gordon asked Gayle Wilson to explain haw to avoid this dilemma that when you reduce waste you hurt yourself financially. Gayle Wilson said that the system now is that the tipping fee is $45 for MSW. Of that, about $27 pays for actual disposal costs. The remainder is utilized to fund recycling waste reduction. Commissioner Gordon asked what we could do to fix the system so that it works financially. She asked if there was some way to have an advantage if there is less waste. Gayle Wilson said not if you are funding a sophisticated recycling waste reduction program. The recycling and waste reduction could be detached from the enterprise fund. He said that you either have to reduce the recycling and waste reduction programs to where they can be funded by the disposal programs, or you have to find supplemental income to help fund those. The more you reduce, the less income you have. It is referred to as the financial spiral of death. Commissioner Carey asked if there was any jurisdiction that has attached the responsibility for paying for the fees to the occupants rather than owners of the