Orange County NC Website
12 <br /> 1 rejection of any option to eliminate curbside recycling and she feels this is an option to improve <br /> 2 the program. <br /> 3 Emily Burrough lives in Hillsborough and is concerned that if curbside becomes optional <br /> 4 many will opt out of recycling. She suggested, if the Board does make curbside recycling <br /> 5 optional, then recyclable items could be banned from the waste stream. She said this could just <br /> 6 be an extension of the corrugated cardboard ban. <br /> 7 <br /> 8 End of Public Comment <br /> 9 <br /> 10 Chair Jacobs noted that several questions were raised during the public comment. He <br /> 11 said the county legislative delegation did try to get authority but it died in committee. <br /> 12 John Roberts, referring to a question regarding Chapel Hill residents in Durham County, <br /> 13 said, without an inter-local agreement with Chapel Hill, Orange County has no legal authority to <br /> 14 provide a service and charge a fee outside of its jurisdiction. He said it would be up to the town <br /> 15 of Chapel Hill to ask Orange County to serve this area and to authorize the county to do so. <br /> 16 Frank Clifton said the county would not have the authority to levy a fee, so the <br /> 17 agreement with Chapel Hill would have to include a methodology of the town applying a tax and <br /> 18 paying the County. <br /> 19 Chair Jacobs said two people asked about getting with staff to talk about small haulers <br /> 20 using the convenience centers as an alternative to disposing in Durham. He asked the <br /> 21 manager and Gayle Wilson to meet with small haulers and report back to Board of County <br /> 22 Commissioners on pros and cons of this arrangement. <br /> 23 Commissioner McKee asked for clarification as to what happens to everything except <br /> 24 the $37 base fee from this point moving forward. He said his understanding that these fees will <br /> 25 go away and the tax will replace them. <br /> 26 Frank Clifton said fees for facilities and county wide services are appropriate; fees for <br /> 27 services at curbside and multi-family locations are not within the county jurisdiction. He said the <br /> 28 County could create a system of opting in or out for some services, but this would require <br /> 29 creation of a billing system. He said there is an issue with the fact that if there is a <br /> 30 neighborhood of 15 houses and only 4 opt in, the cost of the service will remain the same. He <br /> 31 said that in rural neighborhoods, often one neighbor will pay the cost and everyone shares cost <br /> 32 and shares the cans. He said these are examples of a number of issues that exist. <br /> 33 John Roberts said the Supreme Court decision suggested that Orange County does not <br /> 34 have the authority and he read it as a need for the county to look at other options. <br /> 35 Commissioner Dorosin clarified that the County currently collects multi-family and <br /> 36 government facility waste inside the towns. He asked if whatever option is chosen, going <br /> 37 forward, would require those facilities to be part of this. <br /> 38 Frank Clifton said Orange County has contracts with schools and their own facilities but <br /> 39 multi-family units would require the town to take action. <br /> 40 Commissioner Dorosin clarified that a tax district would be funded with a tax, but the <br /> 41 authority would be funded by fees. <br /> 42 Frank Clifton said this would be one methodology, but there are several options. <br /> 43 Commissioner Dorosin asked if those fees would be levied on everyone who is subject <br /> 44 to that authority. <br /> 45 Frank Clifton said the authority can provide services and charge fees accordingly. He <br /> 46 said, if the service is not provided, the fee won't be levied. <br /> 47 Commissioner Dorosin asked if the fee is based on the service being available or based <br /> 48 on the service being used. <br /> 49 Frank Clifton said it will be the first choice. <br />