Agenda - 02-19-2002 - 9a - Laserfiche WebLink

Browse Search

8 community, thereby over-committing departmental resources and unnecessarily competing with the private sector. It is staffs'understanding that the Fund can not differentiate. • Some farms may lack space to store mulch created by this service. • If materials are ground on-site and left for farmer to utilize in the future, some risk of fire exists due to heat generation within the static pile of mulch. • On an intermittent basis, it is likely the private sector would be cost-competitive with any fee- based(unsubsidized) local government provided on-site grinding operations. The private sector typically is structured for highly mobile, variable sized projects, that can be scheduled around any number of ongoing regional landclearing activities. Their staffing and equipment are predicated on these type operations. • A local government's capability for such intermittent operations among the agriculture community would entail more costs for equipment/staff ng due to the limited/irregular need presented by the agriculture community for this type of operation and the investment required to develop this capability. The Solid Waste Management Department would have to over-staff to maintain this capability due to ongoing requirements of our permanent facility. Existing staff is unable to conduct off-site operations due to staffing requirements at the landfill. Part time heavy equipment operators,from our experience, are difficult to obtain. • If service to be offered only to the agriculture community, a clear definition or method of identifying legitimate farming operations must be developed and applied. Cost: • Considerable cost involved in acquiring and mobilizing equipment. The equipment needed to provide these off-site grinding operations would include: • Excavator- $185,000 • Low-boy Trailer- $25,500 • Dump Trailer- $38,000 Total Additional Equipment Cost = $248,500 • Other miscellaneous costs would include fuel, maintenance, supplies, etc. • It is estimated that the cost for the Solid Waste Management Department to grind on-site and leave the mulch would be $4,000-6,000 1acre. • Costs associated with providing this non-landfill fund related service would need to be reimbursed to fund either through the recovery of costs from fees or subsidized by some other public entity, unless the service is made available to the public at large (including developers). Given the on-going need for this equipment at the landfill itself, the Solid Waste Management Department may not be able to meet the demand of the public at large. • A DOT permit is required each time the grinder is moved on state roads. The permit also requires a lead and chase vehicle with strobe lights and "Wide Load"signage. • One full-time staff person and two part-time staff people (if they could be found) could be necessary to perform this off-site service, at an estimated additional annual cost to the budget of approximately$50,000. • This option does not preclude some governmental financial assistance/subsidy, however, using the Solid Waste Management Fund and using alternative sources of subsidization may involve different limitations/constraints. • According to the County Attorney, if Board wishes to make this service available to both the agriculture community as well as the non-agriculture community, it could do so using Solid Waste Management Fund expenditures. Alternatively, if the Board wishes only to provide this service to the agriculture community, some method of reimbursement to the Solid Waste Fund would be required or a non-landfill source of funding identified. 6