Agenda - 04-29-2003-7d - Laserfiche WebLink

Browse Search

hence the landfill has lost tonnage, enabling the landfill to last longer but also diminishing the landfill's operating funds. Consequently, the SWAB, at the request of the BOCC, has made alternative financing its top priority through most of the past twelve months. After thorough study and investigation of a variety of options available to provide long -term, predictable, stable funding for Solid Waste Management, the SWAB recommends a system used elsewhere that it terms a'comprehensive services prepaid fee'. For Orange County, this proposed fee would cover the following: • Mixed solid waste lined landfill operations including replacement of the current tipping fee based system with a funning system based on the projected prorated weight from each type of waste generator e.g. residential, multifamily, commercial (varies by type of business/operation). Under this plan, landfill tipping fees would be eliminated for mixed solid waste and out of county waste would still be banned. There would still be a gate fee for construction waste, demolition waste and vegetative waste. • Recycling services including a fee based on the level of service for the type of customer, weekly curbside, biweekly curbside, multifamily with carts, commercial recyclers of different sizes and types, • Administrative services including county -wide solid waste education and universal programs that serve all residents such as hazardous household waste, electronics collection, and dropoff sites, • Establishment of restricted equipment and landfill closure reserves and maintenance of recommended fund balance • Implementation of Orange County's Integrated Ten Year Solid Waste Management Plan including necessary programs, services and facilities to reach the waste reduction goal • Other solid waste services provided by the Orange County Solid Waste Management Department, not including hauling of solid waste which is outside the purview of this Department. The SWAB envisions this comprehensive fee being charged to all solid waste generators including non - profits such as churches and service organizations. According to one of the SWAB's adopted principles of financing, the fee should be commensurate with the level of solid waste generation and recycling services provided; in other words equitably assessed across all classes of users. The SWAB also realizes that such a system of financing is a radical departure from the current approach where 90% of revenue is from tipping fees and the other 10% from a combination of recycling sales, mulch sales, state grants for tires and white goods and interest on the reserve fund. Establishing a new system with all Orange County property owners pre - paying solid waste fees would likely take two years to implement as it did in Prince William County Virginia. In addition to the considerable public debate required for such a fee, there are technical complexities of determining the level of fee to be paid by each class of users, especially the variable commercial sector. Thorough integration of operations and data of the Tax Assessor, Revenue Collections, Information Services and Land Records /G.I.S. Departments will be necessary for success. There are also significant public education and outreach efforts involved in consideration of such a fee structure. ES -2