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Loren Hintz is Vice Chair of the Commission for the Environment (CfE), and he said the <br /> CfE sent the Board a resolution last month in support of the service tax district. He <br /> encouraged the Board members to review this document, as well as an attached commentary. <br /> He asked the Board to create a solid waste service tax district to support recycling in the <br /> County. He said recycling reduces solid waste, removes roadside litter, reduces energy use, <br /> and eliminates sources of air pollution. He said the cost is relatively low compared to the <br /> benefit. <br /> Barry Katz said he is a resident of Falls of New Hope. He said the curbside pickup <br /> service has been very popular in his neighborhood. He referred to a list of 120 product <br /> categories made from recycled material. He said this product list is from a staunchly <br /> conservative county with an award winning solid waste and recycling program. He read from <br /> the provided list of recycled products. He said recycling does not have to be viewed as a <br /> partisan political issue. He said everyone benefits from the re-use of home and business <br /> recovery material, and it is impossible to opt-out of the use of such items. He questioned why <br /> people should opt out of paying for them. He said regular neighborhood recycling pickup <br /> service is the best way to create and sustain this practice. He urged the County to create the <br /> solid waste district. <br /> Steve Hopper said he is from Efland, and he is opposed to the solid waste tax district. <br /> He said the provided document states that the district would be improving this service but that <br /> is a false statement. He said the County is only picking and choosing some areas. He said <br /> the method of funding is offensive to him because it is a progressive tax. He said the cost to <br /> each household should be the same, but it is not. He said it does not cost more to provide <br /> recycling for a $200,000 house than a $100,000 house. He said this does not meet the <br /> common sense test, and it sounds to him like income re-distribution. He said their local <br /> government should not be doing this. He said it costs the County the same amount to pick up <br /> his recycling as it costs to pick up his neighbors, but he has never used this service. He said <br /> he takes his recycling when he takes his garbage, as this just makes sense. He questioned <br /> whether this tax is to be made for the improvements alone or for unimproved land as well. <br /> Larry Snipes said the Board is discriminating against the residents of Orange County, <br /> as the Board is only charging this tax to part of the County. <br /> Bonnie Hauser said she is strongly committed to waste reduction. She said that <br /> Catawba County ranks first in the state for recycling, and that program is funded with fees that <br /> reward good recycling behavior with discounts and other incentives. She said the towns in <br /> Catawba control all of the curbside trash and recycling programs, and the unincorporated <br /> areas have a waste and recycling franchise that charges $25 per month for trash collection <br /> and discounts this to $19 per month for residents who also recycle. She said RFID chips are <br /> placed on recycling bins, and residents who don't use the bins once a month are charged the <br /> higher fee. She said the program is outsourced to a vendor who has no difficulty with the <br /> uncertainty of allowing residents to opt out. She said Catawba County's solution to the issue <br /> of long driveways was to ask permission from the community to use a small truck to pick up <br /> trash and recyclables from individual homes. She said this county also offers a pay as you <br /> throw system at the convenience centers, and the charge is $1.75 per bag for a 32 gallon bag <br /> of trash, while recycling is free. She said there are no other fees charged to residents for <br /> these services. She noted that Catawba County's solid waste website includes a link to the <br /> franchise agreement, which exposes all services and fees. <br /> She said there are countless examples throughout the state where counties provide <br /> curbside recycling to unincorporated areas, in some cases at no charge. She said she cannot <br /> find any county that forces its citizens to pay for convenience centers and curbside services. <br /> She believes the discussion of a service tax district is premature, and it would be more <br /> productive to begin planning for a future service with a fair and equitable fee system covering <br />