Minutes 04-01-2014 - Laserfiche WebLink

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She said it makes no sense to have curbside recycling in these rural areas, and it only tears up the roads and generates air pollution. She said she is in favor of recycling, but she does not need it picked up. Norma White said she has four parcels and she is in the tax district; but the people at the end of her road are not in the district and are taxed at a different rate. She thinks that a consensus has been formed around recycling in Orange County. She said the towns, the developments outside towns, and the rural areas all recycle, though they do recycling differently. She said the towns and the County are poised to sign an agreement for curbside recycling, and this is a result of conversations between staff, town managers, councils and officials. She said this is a good fit for the town and the County, and the agreement appears to be made in good faith. She said the public hearings have affirmed the importance of recycling outside of the towns. She said curbside recycling is good for suburban developments that sit just outside of towns. She asked, rather than funding this with a tax district, why the County does not work with haulers already providing service to the towns, to include the suburban communities for a fee. She said this would not require a special district. She said the County has not respected the way rural households address recycling. She said only a third of those in the rural area use curbside service. She said the curbside with a tax district should be rejected. She said the Commissioners are the only voice that the rural residents have, and she asked that the Board reject this district and re-visit the issue with the rural stakeholders. Quentin Phillips said he lives on Orange Grove Road. He asked for clarification on the revenue generated by the sale of recyclables. He asked why that cannot be self supporting. He asked how this tax can be legal if the residents have not voted on it. He said he pays more taxes in Orange County than he does in Alamance County. David Neal is a member of the Commission for the Environment. He said the commission's interest in this issue is environmental. He said there is benefit in the reduced energy use created through recycling. He said, given the two options, the commission identified the service district as the option that is least disruptive to the existing successful program. He said a subscription service would be inefficient, difficult to manage, and expensive. He agrees that in a real world, curbside recycling would be best in denser areas; but because of the constraints requiring a contiguous district, this does not work. Joe Phelps said he is a lifelong resident of Orange County. He said he would also like to see the amount of revenue generated from the sale of recyclables. He said the opt-out service should be an option, and if there is a fee, it should be a flat fee for all participants. He feels the Board is incorrect in thinking that an opt-out program would reduce recycling participation. He questioned why only part of the County was included in the program and why the service was not offered to everyone. He does not believe this should be based upon tax value. Bonnie Hauser said she lives across the street from the proposed district, but she cares about this issue. She said it is apparent that everyone involved cares about waste reduction, but everyone does not do it the same way. She said there are many options that provide choice and good service that have not been explored. She said the service district tax is not a fair or equitable solution for the County. She said she has been supportive of the subscription fee, but it seems there may be an issue of viability with this option. She said there needs to be more time allowed to review the options, and a short term solution needs to be found, while options for a long time solution can be sorted out. She asked the Board to delay all capital expenses, including convenience center upgrades and roll carts until a decision is made on how to handle this service in the long term. Ben Lloyd said he is an Efland resident. He said he understands that this proposed tax would apply to residents and open land, regardless if you create waste or not. He owns