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2 V. Orange County Recycling Program update – Sassaman introduced Gayle Wilson (Solid Waste Management Director) who he had invited to provide an update on the latest proposal for funding and enhancing the County’s recycling program. Wilson began with an overview of the recycling program, including the following:  Orange County closed its landfill in July 2013; the County is getting ready to cap the landfill, and expects it be completed by July/Aug. 2014 (costing $3.5 million)  Orange County opened its upgraded Walnut Grove Road solid waste convenience center in 2013; permitting for upgrading the Eubanks Road SWCC by the Town of Chapel Hill is expected to allow completion by Sept. 2015  The scales and household hazardous waste collection will be relocated to the north side of Eubanks Road, so all public facilities will be co-located there  Orange County will continue to provide curbside recycling service within the three municipalities (in town limits); this service will be supported by 3-R fees charged to town residents. The County has ordered 19,500 roll carts for recycling.  Orange County is still considering whether to provide curbside recycling to a portion of the residents in the unincorporated area of the county Wilson said the County is considering two options for funding curbside recycling for residents in suburban areas: 1) Establishing a Solid Waste Service District effective July 1, 2014, which would allow charging a tax to replace the annual $38/household Rural 3-R Fee, which was assessed on property tax bills from 2004 to 2012. 2) Establishing a subscription-type service for those residents that would choose to have their recycling picked up from their homes rather than having to take it to a solid waste convenience center (or not dispose of their recycling properly) Wilson said the County will hold public hearings on March 18 in Chapel Hill and April 1 in Hillsborough. He provided a map showing the proposed Solid Waste Service District. Wilson said the service district option would provide a stable and predictable revenue source, but it would also apply to vacant properties where there is no residential dwelling. He said the subscription-type service would provide more flexibility to residents. Wegman asked if there needed to be a minimum number of residents subscribing to make the subscription-type service viable and cost effective. Wilson said yes, but did not have any figures available at this time. He said fees would have to increase if there weren’t a sufficient number of participants. He cited a 5-10 percent level of participation with existing subscription-type programs, such as in Alamance County. Hintz asked how the service district would apply to farmland where there is no residential dwelling. Wilson said the fee would be applied based on the tax value of the land. If the farmland were enrolled in the County’s present use value taxation program then the fee would be based on that lower tax valuation. Neal asked if the final decision would be made by voters or the BOCC. Wilson said the BOCC would decide on which approach to adopt. Sassaman reminded CFE members of an April 2013 memorandum to the BOCC in which the CFE urged the BOCC to work with the towns to find a way to finance the County’s recycling program in a way that would not threaten the continued success of the program. He then handed out a draft resolution for CFE consideration. He explained his interest in the CFE supporting the proposed service tax district proposal.