Minutes 04-23-2013 - Laserfiche WebLink

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costs. He noted that all neighboring municipalities have made this change and he asked the Board to consider this option as soon as possible. He said municipal leaders support recycling efforts and joint planning has gotten these programs to their current high level, and he asked for reconstitution of the Solid Waste Advisory Board (SWAB). He said the recommendation to use reserves would undermine the recycling efforts and will make future recycling more expensive. He urged the board to implement a funding mechanism to cover next fiscal year. He said recycling costs money but as the County begins to ship waste to another community, recycling becomes an investment that pays dividends by reducing disposal. Richard Palmer lives in Hillsborough and has curbside recycling. He asked what the shortcomings of current systems may be and how can the system be improved. He said this issue has been brought forward because of the State Supreme Court decision about a fee in another county that was not authorized. He recommended that the County approach the legislature for retroactive authority. He said there could then be a process to tweak and improve the system without throwing out the baby with the bathwater. Tom O'Dwyer said he would like to thank Frank Clifton for the narrowing of the options to the current three. He said he understands that the taxes currently used would simply be transferred into the tax district, so there is no additional expense. He said he is only concerned about the partnership between Orange County and the municipalities. He encouraged Frank Clifton to reach out to these municipalities to work out a system of scale economy for the recycling program. B.J. Tipton is a resident of Bingham Township and said she would like to echo the previous comments of her neighbors. She said she had the opportunity to live in a different state and part of the reason she and her husband decided to stay here, was this recycling program. She feels very strongly about anything that undermines that and she feels the tax district is the way to go. Terri Buckner lives in a rural curbside collection area. She said that for every pound of recycling collected contributes to a more socially just environment. This waste is not being taken to a transfer station in another town to be delivered to a landfill in another state, which means less fossil fuel being used and less imposition on others. She feels that only the district tax and the authority should be considered as options. Marty Mandell is a Carrboro resident and she is pleased with her curbside recycling. She said she heard the comment regarding the sale of compost to a company in Chatham, and she heard that Orange County is able to sell recycling materials to others. She said she also knows of many communities who use recycled materials to make all sorts of goods. She asked if these ideas shouldn't be developed more. Bill Black lives in rural Orange County and he is new to the area and thinks this recycling program is amazing. He came from an area that does not have curbside recycling and he asked the County to preserve this service, even if it's on a pay per use basis. He said that it is hard to estimate the cost of all of the residents driving to the convenience centers. Jan Sassaman said he agreed with a lot of the comments made, especially with respect to tax districts and working together with the towns. He said in order to expedite this process, he sent the Board a draft resolution to help in forming their own resolution. Susan Walser lives in Bingham Township and she has followed the solid waste issues for years. She feels that residents of Orange County support recycling and she hears that residents want flexibility. She does not see any discussion of this flexibility for residents going on in the Board meetings. She referenced a survey that was given to SWAB several years ago and she requested that the Board go back to the residents to determine their wants. Norma White agreed with Susan Walser and she also referenced the survey done five years ago for rural residents. In her case, this survey was for residents using the Walnut Grove Convenience Center. She said that, in that survey, curbside recycling was not an