Agenda 09-03-19 Item 8-a - Minutes

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32 Community Services Solid Waste—page 390 • Solid Waste Program Fee -Inveaae ol$10lrom$132[a$1 d2 parpmcel-($910.3121nc reeaeto$a 87 Millions -Third Vaar of 5 Year Plnnnetl PM1aanln to 51G8 n May Needta ReviailProgram FecAmlysia Basadon$wcwrel Financial Changes In Recycling Program • Recurring Capital and Repair Items -Administration Building Repair-$10,925increase -VaM1icla Supplies and Equipment R"pair-$25,0Wincrsesa -Sweeper Atrachment-$9,000 -Mower antl Ave 40 yard bm -$51,OW • Household Hazardous Waste(HHW) -C—2.0 FTEto Mlmmixe Increase In HHW Contract-$95 M -neeya en nddnenal$174,—in Cpntractpal Eepenaea -$77,8d8 Better Net Poeeion -mareaae m Conuauamoent.$ad,oen ORANGECOUNTY 1 az Nnamrt .alenl.lr+a 2 3 Commissioner McKee referred to the solid waste program fees, and asked if staff 4 expects the $148 fee to hold. 5 Bonnie Hammersley said staff will do what it can to make this number hold, but when the 6 structural deficit was addressed, the County was bringing in $1 million for recycling revenue. 7 She said, currently, the County is paying $1 million to have recycling removed. She said things 8 have changed with the recycling markets, but staff will try to keep the fee no higher than $148. 9 She said if a change is needed, staff will let the BOCC well in advance. 10 Commissioner McKee said the fee is approaching a large percentage of the total 11 property tax on some of the smaller home properties. 12 Commissioner Dorosin said the County is paying $1 million to have the recycling taken 13 elsewhere, and asked if there are any alternatives. 14 Robert Williams, Solid Waste Director, said that if the County ends the recycling 15 program, it would increase the disposal costs by roughly $1.4 million. He said the County just 16 completed a recycling study, and the problem is to reduce residual trash (which is currently at 17 12% in recycling). He said staff has identified where the County can partner with businesses 18 and target the removal of glass from the recycling materials. He said a pilot program to 19 separate out glass, exists in some apartment communities, which has been well received. He 20 said the glass will be hauled to the glass recycling facility in Wilson. 21 Commissioner Dorosin asked if part of the costs are due to recycled products not being 22 as valuable to the recycler or because of the residual garbage. 23 Robert Williams said both. He said the residuals have complicated the problems, and 24 companies have started charging additional fees to separate it. He said the County needs to 25 clean up the residuals. 26 Commissioner McKee said getting rid of the program is not an answer, but the County 27 needs to get really innovative about how to approach it, or it will eat the County alive. 28 Robert Williams said the Solid Waste Management Plan is addressing this to meet 29 Orange County's needs. He said staff needs to look into alternative technologies. 30 Commissioner Dorosin said the goal is to get to an actual enterprise fund, but asked if 31 fees are inherently aggressive, is there some other reason why it has to be a self sustaining 32 enterprise fund that is funded through the fees. He asked if increasing taxes is a more 33 equitable way to distribute the cost than increasing the solid waste fee. 34 Travis Myren said there is no legal requirement that it has to be recaptured through fees. 35 He said the program fee is tantamount to a tax. He said an alternative would be for the Board to 36 increase property taxes in order to make the fund work, as there is no requirement that this be 37 an enterprise fund. 38 Bonnie Hammersley said there are fee waivers of$500 available, and the solid waste 39 program has a safety net in the general fund. She said if money is needed, to continue to 40 support the efforts, it should be done on the back end, and not on the front end. She said this 41 money helped to fund other efforts in the budget that are needed now, and the solid waste fund