Orange County NC Website
26 <br /> 1 safety or affordability instead of services that she will not use. She supports an equitable flat <br /> 2 fee, and she would like this to come with a commitment from the Board to limit future increases <br /> 3 and begin a process to reign in the cost of the solid waste department and eliminate the subsidy <br /> 4 from the general fund. <br /> 5 Commissioner Dorosin referred to the splitting of rural and non-rural services, and he <br /> 6 asked if the definition of municipal, anyone who lives inside the city limits. <br /> 7 Gayle Wilson said the corporate limits are the dividing lines. <br /> 8 Commissioner Dorosin asked if these two fees generate the same amount of money. <br /> 9 Gayle Wilson said yes. He said the revenue requirement is $6,208,000. <br /> 10 Commissioner Dorosin asked how much of a tax hit this would be if it were paid for out <br /> 11 of taxes. <br /> 12 Paul Laughton said this would be about 4 cents. <br /> 13 Commissioner Dorosin asked how the 700 parcels with subsidies are identified. <br /> 14 Gayle Wilson said the tax administration office handles this and there is income criteria <br /> 15 required in order to qualify. He said if the resident qualifies, then these fees are paid for them. <br /> 16 Commissioner Dorosin said this seems like a low number of residents who qualify, and <br /> 17 he wonders how effective this system is in identifying these households. <br /> 18 Gayle Wilson said these are property owners not renters. <br /> 19 Commissioner Dorosin said even under fee structure, there is a base amount of tax <br /> 20 money that subsidizes the program. <br /> 21 Gayle Wilson said that is correct. <br /> 22 Commissioner Price said there are people on fixed incomes who are property owners. <br /> 23 She said going from no fee to $103 is a big jump for these people. She asked if this amount <br /> 24 will increase with a new proposal. She also asked for justification for the unequal rate between <br /> 25 rural and non-rural residents. <br /> 26 Gayle Wilson said the urban solid waste program fee includes the cost for weekly <br /> 27 curbside recycling program and all but one of the multi-family facilities. He said the rural <br /> 28 component includes the rural recycling program and solid waste convenience center (SWCC) <br /> 29 fees. He said one-third of the SWCC costs are covered in the urban portion, and the rural <br /> 30 portion covers the remaining two-thirds. He said all of the rest of the services are split evenly. <br /> 31 Gayle Wilson said the rural fee is higher because there are fewer residents to divide the <br /> 32 fee. <br /> 33 Gayle Wilson said the unincorporated areas are not going from nothing to $103. He <br /> 34 said these residents are actually going from $87 to $103. <br /> 35 Commissioner Price asked if it is possible to lower the fee below$100 in order to <br /> 36 smooth the transition. <br /> 37 Gayle Wilson said this could be done if the services and programs are reduced, or if the <br /> 38 general fund takes on a greater share of the cost. <br /> 39 Commissioner Price asked about the part of Mebane that is in Orange County. <br /> 40 Gayle Wilson said this area is served by the Town of Mebane. <br /> 41 Commissioner Price asked if expansion means that every household will be served. <br /> 42 Gayle Wilson said the services will have to be made available to everyone if you are <br /> 43 going to levy the same fee. <br /> 44 Commissioner Pelissier said many rural residents live on roads that trucks may have <br /> 45 trouble accessing. <br /> 46 Gayle Wilson said the department has dealt with a wide variety of service access <br /> 47 challenges. He said if an owner allows it, drivers will even go down private drives. <br /> 48 Gayle Wilson said staff will continue to provide surveys through all phases of <br /> 49 implementation, and those who want the carts will be able to use them. He said since the initial <br />