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

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14 1 Commissioner Rich said she would like to explore the carts more. She said these were 2 a driving force with the towns and she would like to see what the options are, and how this 3 would work with the tax district. 4 Commissioner Price referred to the idea of a work group and suggested that there be 5 representatives from both county and town, as well as staff, residents and haulers. She said 6 this would include all stake holders and would prevent decisions being made in isolation. 7 Commissioner Pelissier suggested that the process start by finding out if the towns are 8 really interested in participating, and in what capacity. She agreed with Commissioner McKee 9 about eliminating option 3, since it is evident that the citizens want to keep a recycling program. 10 She said what bothers her about the opt-out option is the fact that the county already provides 11 services that not everyone participates in but we want and pay for. She gave examples of 12 schools, parks, etc. She said that the one service that everyone has to use is waste disposal 13 and recycling. She said this needs to be looked at as a big picture of the overall service to the 14 county. She said there are people who don't use the convenience centers but pay for them 15 through taxes. She said that the fees are not that much more than those already being paid. 16 Commissioner Dorosin said he appreciated what Commissioner Pelissier said. He feels 17 there are pros and cons for both the authority and the tax. He personally does not want to 18 create a quasi-judicial authority. He feels the government should be responsible for this. He 19 feels the fees are regressive and fall harder on those less able to pay. He said that the pro side 20 would be if only users have to pay the fee. 21 He said that the pros of the District tax side are that it is controlled by county, and it has 22 a progressive tax. The con is that this tax would be on all properties, regardless of use. 23 He feels that reaching out to other partners is critical with regard to broad based 24 participation. He said the county should go back to towns for feedback, as well as doing more 25 research on how an authority would work and what the costs would be. 26 He questioned, for a countywide tax district, what the tax would be in order to cover the 27 fee that is being lost, and he would like to see a comparative analysis. 28 Commissioner Gordon said the Board needs to reach out to the government partners. 29 She also feels that it is time to eliminate option 3 and do further research on the authority and 30 tax district, especially with regard to costs. She said she is leaning toward the tax district. 31 Chair Jacobs said letters have already been received from 2 of the 3 mayors and they 32 support the current recycling system. He said the Board has been told that Chapel Hill is 33 supportive. He noted that when the County met with the town council, it was requested that, 34 the town communicate with the County before making any decisions on solid waste. He said it 35 is time for the county to do the same. He said he cannibalized Mr. Sassaman's draft resolution 36 and he read the following proposed resolution: 37 38 RESOLUTION ADVANCING THE ESTABLISHMENT OF A SOLID WASTE TAX SERVICE 39 DISTRICT IN ORANGE COUNTY 40 41 WHEREAS, THE Orange County Board of Commissioners has determined that it is no 42 longer appropriate to collect certain fees to fund urban, multifamily, and rural recycling services; 43 and 44 WHEREAS, a continued strong, integrated, and collaborative recycling program is in the 45 best interest of Orange County, it's resident, and its environment; and 46 47 WHEREAS, it is vital that a recycling collection program be inclusive of all residents of 48 Orange County as soon as practicable; and 49