Agenda - 02-26-2003-ws2 - Laserfiche WebLink

Browse Search

ORANGE COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS ACTION AGENDA ITEM ABSTRACT Meeting Date: February 26, 2003 Action Agenda Item No. 2 SUBJECT: Solid Waste Advisory Board Report on Solid Waste Alternative Financing DEPARTMENT: Solid Waste Management PUBLIC HEARING: (Y/N) No ATTACHMENT(S): Executive Summary 2/26/03 SWAB Report (to be provided under separate cover) INFORMATION CONTACT: Jan Sassaman, Chair or Gayle Wilson, Solid Waste Director 968-2885 TELEPHONE NUMBERS: Hillsborough 732-8181 Chapel Hill 968501 Durham 688-7331 Mebane 336-227-2031 PURPOSE: To review a report from the Solid Waste Advisory Board (SWAB) to the Board of Commissioners regarding the SWAB's examination of options for providing supplemental financing for the solid waste enterprise fund programs and services, for both the long-term and upcoming fiscal year. BACKGROUND: The Solid Waste Advisory Board (SWAB) was created as a result of the 1999 interlocal agreement between the County and the Towns of Carrboro, Chapel Hill, and Hillsborough that now governs management of solid waste throughout Orange County. The SWAB consists of eight members, two appointed by each of the County and municipal governing boards. Since the SWAB began meeting in September 2000, the University (although not a formal signatory to the interlocal agreement) has also participated thoroughly in SWAB discussions and activities through their designated staff representative. As noted in the accompanying executive summary to the SWAB's report, the SWAB has had as its primary focus for the past twelve months the issue of solid waste alternative financing. Staff presented an orientation to the BOCC at their January 27, 2003 work session regarding the need for and possible alternatives for alternative financing. As was noted then, environmental stewardship has been a high priority goal for the Board of Commissioners for many years. Among other notable examples has been the goal of reducing per capita disposal of solid waste by 61 percent by the year 2006. Orange County recently became the first of North Carolina's 100 counties to achieve the State's goal of 40 percent per capita solid waste disposal by 2006. The County has developed and implemented a wide range of effective recycling programs that led to this achievement. The FY 2002-03 budget for recycling is about $2.5 million, almost all of which is funded by tipping fees generated from disposal of mixed solid waste and construction and demolition waste. Reduced solid waste disposal has led inevitably to the need to identify and implement other sources of revenue to underwrite the County's solid waste enterprise fund, particularly for recycling programs.