Minutes 04-09-2013 - Laserfiche WebLink

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Manager will recommend that the Board of County Commissioners cease assessing the Urban, Rural and Multi-family recycling fees beginning with the Fiscal 2013/14 Annual Budget. The County Manager further recommends funding these services for Fiscal 2013/14 only with solid waste enterprise fund reserves to allow the County time to transition to an alternative solution. The Rural Curbside program currently is limited to 13,730 households eligible in the unincorporated area of the County. A rural curbside recycling fee is charged to those households where recycling services are made available. These services are provided by County Staff. Just 6,000 households lack access to rural curbside service at this time and are not charged the Rural Curbside Fee. Waste collections in unincorporated Orange County are provided by private haulers, without a County Franchise Agreement, on a voluntary basis to those using the services. The Urban Curbside recycling fee is charged to Chapel Hill, Carrboro and Hillsborough municipal residents by the County for urban curbside recycling services. The services are paid for by Orange County Solid Waste under contract with Waste Industries, Inc. and the towns are responsible for household solid waste within their town limits. The Multi-family Fee is charged to each multi-family establishment in both incorporated and unincorporated Orange County based on the number of residential units for collection of recyclable materials at each of these locations. The multi-family recycling services are provided by Orange County Solid Waste staff. North Carolina General Statute 153A-136 (Attachment 1) Regulation of Solid Waste, gives counties the authority to grant a franchise for the exclusive right to collect or dispose of solid waste within all or a defined portion of the county and prohibit others from collecting or disposing of solid wastes in that area. The County is exploring a franchise agreement process for the unincorporated areas of the County which would include the privatization of curbside household solid waste and recycling. The County may by resolution permit a Solid Waste Ordinance to be adopted by the Towns and applicable within the Town limits. The Towns may negotiate a fee schedule that differs from fees established by the County for privatized curbside solid waste or recycling services. North Carolina General Statute 160A-327 (Attachment 2) provides that a unit of local government may displace a private company that is providing collection services for household solid waste or recovered material. The County is following the procedure outlined in GS 160A- 327. The earliest possible date for the Board to hold a hearing to consider implementing provisions of the statue is April 23, 2013. On March 7, 2013 the Board approved the scheduling of a public hearing on April 23, 2013 to discuss a proposal to move toward a county-wide Franchise agreement for curbside Solid Waste and Recycling Services in the unincorporated areas of Orange County and directed staff to proceed with the various steps required in NC General Statutes. Both rural solid waste collections and rural curbside recycling could be included in a county-wide Franchise Agreement. The Board requested that staff present available options for Orange County to fund the County's Recycling. A county-wide Franchise agreement for curbside Solid Waste and Recycling Services in the unincorporated areas of Orange County is only one option being considered by the Board. Option 1 creates an Authority which would operate much like Orange Water and Sewer Authority (OWASA), as a standalone regional solution. This option would require the cooperation of two (2) or more local governments to form an Authority. An Authority would not be included in the County's General Fund Budget and would be governed by an independent board.