Minutes 03-17-2015 - Laserfiche WebLink

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— Selection of funding option • Approval of funding option by each elected board to authorize County to charge fee — Approval needed before end of April • Finalize Comprehensive Interlocal Agreement by January 1, 2016 Commissioner Rich said the group came a long way from where things were at the beginning. She said everyone did a good job of coming to consensus on these two options. PUBLIC COMMENT: Bonnie Hauser said she was pleased to hear about the flat fee, but she was not pleased to hear that curbside recycling is expanding throughout the County where most families cannot use it, or that fees will be increasing every year when her taxes are subsidizing the fee. She said equity is equity, and she is prepared to do her part. She said the single fee is a large increase for the rural households that do not get curbside recycling, and it is a large increase for multi-family households. She referenced a spreadsheet to show how fees have increased over the years. She said the fees for rural residents have gone up by $50 since 2010 and by $15 and $30 for town residents. She said the increases are due mostly to the convenience center fees, which were introduced in 2011 at the same time that service levels were cut. She noted that most of the rural centers are still on a reduced schedule. She said the increase for rural residents is nearly 2 points on the tax rate, and it is 1 point for town residents, but there is no improvement in services. She said now there will be more unwanted services and more rate increases. She said she would rather see her tax increases or fees used for schools, public safety or affordability instead of services that she will not use. She supports an equitable flat fee, and she would like this to come with a commitment from the Board to limit future increases and begin a process to reign in the cost of the solid waste department and eliminate the subsidy from the general fund. Commissioner porosin referred to the splitting of rural and non-rural services, and he asked if the definition of municipal, anyone who lives inside the city limits. Gayle Wilson said the corporate limits are the dividing lines. Commissioner porosin asked if these two fees generate the same amount of money. Gayle Wilson said yes. He said the revenue requirement is $6,208,000. Commissioner porosin asked how much of a tax hit this would be if it were paid for out of taxes. Paul Laughton said this would be about 4 cents. Commissioner porosin asked how the 700 parcels with subsidies are identified. Gayle Wilson said the tax administration office handles this and there is income criteria required in order to qualify. He said if the resident qualifies, then these fees are paid for them. Commissioner porosin said this seems like a low number of residents who qualify, and he wonders how effective this system is in identifying these households. Gayle Wilson said these are property owners not renters. Commissioner porosin said even under fee structure, there is a base amount of tax money that subsidizes the program. Gayle Wilson said that is correct. Commissioner Price said there are people on fixed incomes who are property owners. She said going from no fee to $103 is a big jump for these people. She asked if this amount will increase with a new proposal. She also asked for justification for the unequal rate between rural and non-rural residents.