Minutes 03-26-2015 - Assembly of Governments

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Mayor Kleinschmidt said both options have 35 percent going to the SWCCs, and he and Council Member Ward saw this as a compromise. He said the two fee system is a better compromise. Alderman Johnson arrived at 7:23pm. Mayor Kleinschmidt said it would be easier to pilot a program with two fees rather than a single fee. He said his Town Council has talked about this and felt that it would be more difficult to change a fee once it is implemented as a single fee. He said data could continue to be gathered over a pilot period in order to determine whether the fee structure should be further adjusted. Council Member Ward said Mayor Kleinschmidt summarized it well. He said he articulated at the SWAG meetings as a representative of his constituents, that option 1 more closely sets the fee rate at the cost of services that the citizens are actually getting. He said the snapshot survey does show that Chapel Hill is paying more for the SWCCs than the citizens actually use. He said there is no need to parse that out at this time, and the Town is supportive of option 1 on a trial basis of one year. He said the goal would be to have the SWAG continue to look at this issue or to investigate this trial period later in the year in order to make a more informed decision for 2016-17. Mayor Lavelle said, at the SWAG meetings, she was in favor of funding option 2. She liked the idea of roll out carts going to everyone and the idea of establishing a holistic countywide approach. She found it difficult to look at all of the services that Orange County provides and to parse out those things that benefitted County residents versus urban residents. She said she looks at this as a countywide effort; everyone pays property taxes, and everyone pays the same fee. She said the survey illustrates that people in the County are continuing to use the SWCCs more because they do not have roll out carts yet. She said there has been a 21 percent increase in recycling with the rollout carts in the urban areas, and there may be such an increase with the rollout to the County. In her view, it feels like it makes more sense to go forward with one fee. Commissioner Price said she concurs with Mayor Lavelle. She said option 2 is fair to everyone. She said some services are just basic to the County. She pays for education in the County and she is glad to do it, even though she does not have children in the system. She said she feels there should be a flat fee for everyone. Town Commissioner Wenn said she is supportive of a flat fee. She said any countywide issues are in need of countywide support, and a flat fee is an easier sale to their constituents. Town Commissioner Ferguson said the other element that she felt was important was to encourage usage. She said there are rural residents who have concerns with the higher fees. She said the single fee lowers the barrier to usage, which has an impact. She said this needs to be looked at holistically. Commissioner Pelissier said she supports a flat fee. She said the goal is to get people to recycle for all of the environmental benefits. She said equity is not the primary goal here, but it is equity to say that there is a flat fee for everyone in this County. She said part of this is a perception issue, and she would not want to tell farmers and other rural residents that they have to pay more because they live in a rural environment. Alderman O'Donnell said everyone is in this together as a county, and she supports the flat fee. She is a teacher and she spends time teaching kids to understand that the mindset should not just be about taking care of their own recycling. She said the goal is to get people