Agenda - 06-18-2013 - 5a - Laserfiche WebLink

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7 1 Frank Clifton said there has been discussion about the general fund and property tax to 2 support recycling. He said that property taxes do support solid waste, but convenience center 3 fees do not cover the total cost of operations. 4 Michael Talbert said the county contributes about $1.6 million from the general fund 5 toward the convenience centers, plus the household convenience center fee. 6 Frank Clifton said that it is obviously important that the towns be involved in the solution 7 that is chosen, but this decision is not in the county's hands. 8 Chair Jacobs noted that there was no mention of the option of just having Solid Waste 9 Convenience Centers (SWCC). 10 Frank Clifton said this was not an oversight, but he does not see that happening in 11 Orange County. He said he does not know what the capital costs would be to increase the 12 number of convenience centers. He said this is the least expensive option, but he does not see 13 that as a long term option of preference for Orange County. 14 Commissioner Dorosin asked Frank Clifton to clarify the basis for thinking the Solid 15 Waste Convenience Centers option is not the option of preference. He asked if this statement 16 is because the option would not produce the amount of recycling or if it is politically infeasible to 17 site these convenient centers. 18 Frank Clifton said there is a combination of all those elements and more. He said the 19 SWCCs operate with 2-3 employees per shift and most of the current sites were not designed 20 very efficiently. He said it would cost about $1.5 million to build and upgrade sites. He said, 21 considering the base of recycling, which is the urban area, there is only one center. He said 22 there would probably need to be another site and he does not see this politically happening 23 anytime soon. He said that there are also air quality concerns due to the amount of driving that 24 would be required with all of the trips to the convenience center. He said that the addition of 25 some recycling centers in the rural areas of the county may make sense as part of the Solid 26 Waste Authority Plan. 27 Commissioner Price said, as part of siting a solid waste authority, there would need to 28 be some siting of ancillary centers. She asked if the authority would be able to locate a 29 convenience center anywhere, as well as a waste transfer station. 30 Frank Clifton said that is theoretically possible, but realistically, the towns and the county 31 control the zoning in all of these areas. He said the reason for an authority is the greater 32 latitude in how it pays for services. He said there are many latitudes given for authorities to act. 33 Commissioner McKee said he had heard Gayle Wilson say that he was unaware of any 34 other authority that did not have a transfer station or landfill to generate funds. 35 Frank Clifton concurred with this. 36 37 PUBLIC COMMENT: 38 Alex Castro is a resident of Bingham Township and he refuted some comments by the 39 county manager. He noted that residents don't make a trip to recycling center solely for the 40 purpose of recycling. He said that rural residents go to the convenience center while doing 41 many errands, since these residents live in the unincorporated areas of the county. He said 42 those that are aging may need some help, since many live a far distance from the curb. He said 43 the better solution is to pay an intermediary to take the recyclables to the center. He suggested 44 a work group to study a private/public partnership. He said the County has sites where trash 45 can be collected, and some of the rural residents just need help getting recyclables to the 46 center. He said there are already several locally owned private haulers that can accommodate 47 these needs. He said this could be a pioneer program and partnership. 48 Amy Brooks works for Brooks Contractor and she is contracted with the county for food 49 waste. She said she does not want the board to forget about composting. She said the 50 foundation for the modern local economy is the soil and she does not feel that the focus should