Agenda - 12-03-2007-7a - Laserfiche WebLink

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ORANGE COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS ACTION AGENDA ITEM ABSTRACT Meeting Date: December 3, 2007 Action Agenda Item No. ~' A SUBJECT: Report on the Development of Interim Solid Waste Management Plan DEPARTMENT: Solid Waste Management PUBLIC HEARING: (Y/N) No ATTACHMENT(S): INFORMATION CONTACT: SWAB Report of October 4, 2007 with Gayle Wilson, 968-2885 Adopted SWAB Resolution and Outline PURPOSE: To present information to the BOCC and receive feedback on the development of an Interim Solid Waste Management Plan - 3-Year Update, for submission to the State, pending completion of ongoing Solid Waste Planning Work Group process. BACKGROUND: Each local government entity is required by state law to develop and submit a 10-Year Solid Waste Management Plan and update it every three years. Orange County, on behalf of the County and municipalities, is responsible for preparation of such a plan that must ultimately be adopted by each of the local governments prior to submission. The most recent plan submitted by Orange County was June 2003. The County's new plan update was due June 30, 2006. In 2005, Orange County created a Solid Waste Management Planning Work Group that has been meeting to perform a comprehensive review and modification of the existing plan, and to consider additional means toward reaching the County's aggressive waste reduction goals. This Work Group was created due to various concerns expressed primarily by the Town of Chapel Hill over the draft plan the town was asked to consider at that time. The BOCC then created the Work Group to conduct a comprehensive evaluation and overhaul of the local plan. Over this time, the Work Group has met 13 times, the most recent of which was November 28, 2007. County staff and engineering consultants are conducting the analysis of options for the integrated comprehensive plan. Given the likelihood that the current County planning process will continue well into 2008, the Solid Waste Advisory Board (SWAB) has recommended that an interim plan be produced, acknowledging and describing the County's current comprehensive planning process, without speculation as to outcomes or final recommendations. Staff concurs with this recommendation. The interim plan would act as a placeholder that would allow Orange County governments to become compliant with state regulations that require that an updated and locally adopted plan be in place. Regaining regulatory compliance will allow Orange County to become eligible for state grants and reduce the potential for environmental permitting delays or interruptions.