Minutes 01-23-2014 - Laserfiche WebLink

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Commissioner Dorosin said the County has one goal, which is to maximize recycling in Orange County. He said the other shared goal is to maximize fairness to all in the residents in the County in achieving this recycling goal. He said the idea seems to be that paying a tax means people will put the bin out at the curb, but these same residents will not recycle if they have to opt, and this seems logically inconsistent. He said the only way to fairly do curbside recycling is to either have an opt-in service or to fund it out of the general revenue so that everyone bears the burden. He said, as to the question of a public hearing, it should be a public hearing to present a series of options. He said it can't be a public hearing on just a service district. He said he would only support curbside recycling if it is funded from the general fund or a subscription service. He said if the Board does not want to do curbside recycling, then other options need to be considered, such as more convenience centers. Commissioner Gordon said she would support going forth with a public hearing since tonight's meeting was not advertised as a public hearing, and the Board needs to get this information out to the public. She said a public hearing is required by statute in order to establish a tax district. She said other options can also be presented at this hearing. She said she does understand the issues of having a long driveway and paying a tax on vacant land. Chair Jacobs addressed John Roberts. He asked, if the Board went ahead with a public hearing and sent out notices to over 13,000 citizens, but then decided to use funding from general fund and include the municipalities, whether any notices would have to be sent if the urban areas were included after the fact. John Roberts said the public hearing process could be followed later by the municipalities if the elected boards chose to join in the service district. He said there is no statutory mandate that the public hearing happen at a later time, but it would be a good policy for those municipalities to have their own hearings. Chair Jacobs said he does think that a lot of this information is based on opinion, and it is useful but might not be applicable. He has concerns about all of the exempt properties. He said he has lobbied that people with long driveways be allowed to use bins, and he is concerned about the possible surplus of roll carts. Gayle Wilson said an assessment would be done prior to each phase and necessary adjustments would be made. Chair Jacobs said the two goals are the commitment to equity and the commitment to recycling and this balance is difficult. He said even the general fund use has an equity issue if roadside recycling does not provide service to all residents. He said the question is whether the Board feels that it is important enough to use the general fund or service district to support curbside recycling. Chair Jacobs said this should proceed to a public hearing, and all of the options should be put on the table. He said there should be two public hearings held in both ends of the County. He said the Board can come back on Feb. 4th to determine what information should be presented at these hearings. Commissioner Rich said if the general fund consideration is being put on the table, the Board also needs to talk with the towns about what that means for the agreement that currently exists with the County. Commissioner Price said she does want to move forward with the public hearing, but she wants to make sure that all of the options are discussed and time is used wisely. She would also like to see data on the subscription service and the costs to the department and the impact on revenue. Commissioner McKee said he voted against the motion the last time this was discussed. He said the previous wording finished with a statement that staff would proceed