Orange County NC Website
16 <br />1 for the half year is the knowledge that the lead time on the new trucks means that the trucks will <br />2 not actually be used until at least October and potentially later. <br />3 Commissioner Pelissier said a fee could be charged for the entire year. <br />4 Michael Talbert said yes. <br />5 Commissioner Dorosin asked for an explanation of how the subscription fee is different <br />6 from the Lanvelle case fee. <br />7 John Roberts said the Lanvelle case did not deal with recycling, and it was a fee that the <br />8 County did not have authorization from the legislature to impose. He said that fee was levied <br />9 on developers, and the courts said the County did not have the authority to impose the fee; <br />10 therefore it must be paid back. He said the similarity comes down to the city and county <br />11 statutes on solid waste. He said Counties have the authority to operate solid waste services, <br />12 and to charge a fee for those services. He said cities have the authority to operate solid waste <br />13 services and mandate that residents subscribe. He said Counties don't have authority to <br />14 mandate the subscription. He said the option for County residents to return the cart and not be <br />15 charged a fee, complies with the requirement that there not be a mandate. <br />16 Commissioner Gordon referred to page 3, #5, regarding the pursuit of new customers in <br />17 rural Orange County. She asked where this would be done. <br />18 Michael Talbert said the County has routes that pick up on the blue tracks now. He said <br />19 the adjacent properties that make the most sense would be the areas in yellow. He said the <br />20 service would be marketed to all the areas in yellow. He said there are some new <br />21 developments that would enable the County to go outside of the current district to establish new <br />22 routes for newer developments. <br />23 Commissioner Gordon asked for clarification on the understanding with the towns <br />24 regarding the areas outside of the towns. She asked if the County is expected to have a district <br />25 or subscription outside of the municipal jurisdictions. <br />26 Michael Talbert said he does not know the Town's expectation, but if an area lies <br />27 outside of the Town's borders, it is the County's responsibility. <br />28 Commissioner Rich said the assumption is that there will be a 20 percent drop off in <br />29 service. She asked where this number came from. <br />30 Michael Talbert said he worked with Gayle Wilson in solid waste. He said there has <br />31 been a drop off in every program across the nation that has gone from a free program to a <br />32 subscription service. He said this is a best estimate, and it is not etched in stone. <br />33 Commissioner Rich asked what would happen if this number is a lot higher. She asked <br />34 if this would mean the $58 fee would get higher. <br />35 Michael Talbert said if this happens the cost could potentially go higher the next year. <br />36 He said opt outs could change the routes, the direction of the routes and the way the collections <br />37 are done. However, he said he has heard that recycling is important in Orange County, and <br />38 staff wanted to continue the programs and find a way to pay for it. <br />39 Commissioner Rich said she agrees that Orange County is passionate about recycling, <br />40 but she is concerned that the subscription service may not get the buy in that the County is <br />41 hoping for. She is not confident that the subscription is the way to go. <br />42 Michael Talbert said if the Board wants to move forward with the district instead, this can <br />43 still be done by July 1. <br />44 Commissioner McKee asked if the 20 percent drop accounts for people who will later opt <br />45 back in, and the potential new customers. <br />46 Michael Talbert said the 20 percent is based on national averages of what a plan ends <br />47 up being a year after moving to a subscription service, and it does not account for new <br />48 customers. <br />49 Commissioner Price asked if the subscription service will be available to all of the <br />50 residents in the County, even beyond the current map. <br />