Minutes 04-01-2014 - Laserfiche WebLink

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congratulated the County on doing a good job with recycling so far, but he feels the Board does not see that the rural people get it. He cited a 7 percent difference in the rates of recycling between rural residents with and without the curbside service. He said the economics don't add up. He said the residents of this County are enlightened and are going to continue to recycle. Steve Hopper asked the Board not to do this, and he requested that residents be allowed to vote on the issue. Jerry Snipes said he is a resident of Efland Cheeks Township. He said he has over 500 signatures against this tax, and many people he has talked to do not want this tax. He questioned why the County would want to send their trash to a neighbor's county. Doug Efland said he received 6 notices for the parcels he owns, and all but one of these is farmland. He referred to item #30 on the FAQ sheet. He said he does not understand why landowners that have vacant properties in the district are asked to pay for service and those outside are not asked to pay for it, as neither of these residents receive any benefit from it. He referred to the statement about suspension of fees and said he noticed that his tax bill for 2012 and 2013 showed that, even though the $37 fee was suspended, he was asked to pay a $30 increase in other fees for solid waste. Paul Rockwell said he lives on the east side of Orange Grove Road. He expressed his gratitude to the Board for allowing him to express his opinion. He said he likes the services offered by the County at the convenience centers, and he feels the taxes he pays for this are well invested. He said curbside recycling is not something he would use, and he does not want to pay for a service, he does not need or want. He likes the idea of a subscription service option, as it allows residents to get the level of service they would like. He said incentivizing recycling might also help reach the goal faster than irritating the public with additional taxes. He said incentivizing has been proven effective in other areas. Thomas Linden said he lives in the Stoneridge neighborhood, which contains about 243 houses in unincorporated Orange County. He said his neighborhood and the neighborhood next to his really need recycling. He said about 80 percent or more of the homes in his area have recycling bins in front of them. He said people cannot selectively choose the taxes that benefit them. He said if this was the case, there would be no functioning society. He said Orange County is a recycling leader in the state and there needs to be more recycling, not less. He said he would likely have to double the amount he pays for the service, but he feels it would be well worth it. He thinks it would be useful for the County to pursue a pay-as-you-throw model for private hauling. He said he puts out very little trash, but he pays for a big bin. He is in favor of the tax district. Lynne Jaffe said that many people seem to be against the taxing of this service. She said she has paid for many services that she does not use, including schools and other services; however she does not see the justice in paying taxes for someone else's trash. She does not see how this tax supports recycling. She said this is a rural County and many people have inherited their land and own a lot of land. She said many of these people are on a fixed income and are unable to pay more taxes. She said County residents are increasingly penalized and asked to support so many services that provide them no benefit. Jane Gaede lives in Orange County, in Hillsborough Township. She said she has received 7 first class individual mailings from the solid waste office in reference to this district tax public hearing. She said there is a need to consolidate this. She said there is curbside recycling in her area, and she does not want, or need the service. She does not have trash pick-up, so she takes trash and recyclables to the convenience center at the same time. She said she is perfectly happy to pay a fair share of cost to maintain the convenience centers.