Agenda - 04-01-2014 - 6a - Laserfiche WebLink

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15 1 common good, yet the rural people pay more. She said this discrepancy shoots down the 2 common good concept. She said the tax differential has all of the appearances of an implicit 3 special tax district, with unequal application of taxation to the rural areas and exclusion of the 4 urban areas. She said the County now wants to impose another tax applied only to the rural 5 areas. She said the County's pretense that the rural areas need and will overwhelmingly use 6 curbside recycling is a faulty premise, as these areas have never been polled or surveyed. She 7 said this is a stab in the dark, and the issue is a shortfall of money in the Solid Waste 8 Department. 9 David Laudocina lives in Bingham Township, and he urged the Board to find an 10 equitable solution for curbside recycling rather than implementing a district tax based on 11 property valuation. He believes progressive taxation is appropriate for some services, but 12 curbside rural recycling is not a good fit. He said his property tax bill includes a flat rate for the 13 3-r fee and a flat rate for the waste center fee, and these charges are dependent on where you 14 live in the County. He feels that the flat rate system for curbside is more consistent with the 15 method used for other waste services. He said the magnitude of the difference in total dollars 16 paid between properties using a district tax tied to property valuation grows as the tax rate 17 increases over time. He said he hopes the policy of allowing use of the orange bins for rural 18 recycling will be a reality, regardless of what system is implemented. 19 He noted that property values have not been re-valued since 2009 to provide true 20 property tax assessments. He said the Board has done a good job of holding the line on 21 property tax increases. He believes it is prudent for the County to find a fairer, more equitable 22 way to pay for rural curbside recycling and hold off on any property tax increases until the 23 valuations are fair and balanced. 24 Alex Castro said he is a senior resident of Bingham Township, and it seemed to him that 25 the Board is messing with something that is working. He said recycling is working in Orange 26 County, and now the Board is looking to spend a lot of money for changes that don't fit. He 27 said that people given a choice will not opt-in; therefore if residents are not forced to do it, the 28 population will not exist to sustain what is put in place. He asked the Board to think strongly 29 about whether this is a good avenue. 30 Bonnie Hauser said she lives in rural Orange County. She uses the SWCC for trash 31 and recycling, and she composts at home. She said families in the unincorporated areas 32 overwhelmingly prefer a voluntary fee over a service district tax. She said % of the families in 33 the rural community prefer to use the convenience centers for trash, and they bring their 34 recycling too. She said this is not about recycling rates, it is simply about the fact that curbside 35 services don't work in much of the rural area. She said people should be able to opt out if they 36 are unable to use the services. She said if the Board decides to pursue the public hearings, 37 she would like it made clear what else the Board hopes to learn about this process. 38 She said she is also confused about equity. She said, according to UNC, County 39 governments cannot make residents pay a fee for curbside collection services, and this was the 40 basis for the end of the 3-r fee. She said the town residents see recycling as hand in hand with 41 the curbside trash collection, which is provided to every household and funded by the town's 42 general fund. She said the towns are expected to delegate their fee authority to the County. 43 Bonnie Hauser said rural residents who want curbside services retain private haulers at 44 their own expense. She said if equity is an issue, then convenience fees should be examined. 45 She said everyone is concerned about the future of the County Solid Waste Department and 46 recycling after the close of the landfill, and there is much to do to get the waste service fees 47 right. She said it is a waste of time to hold public hearings for a service district tax. She 48 advocated for a subscription service for rural families, with an option to opt out. 49