Agenda - 09-05-2000-5d - Laserfiche WebLink

Browse Search

ORANGE COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS ACTION AGENDA ITEM ABSTRACT Meeting Date: September 5, 2000 Action Age~a Item No. ~~ SUBJECT: Open Burning Policy for Governmental Entities and Non-Profits Receiving County Funds DEPARTMENT: County Manager/ERCD PUBLIC HEARING: (YIN) No ATTACHMENT(S): INFORMATION CONTACT: Resolution Rod Visser, ext 2300 Proposed Policy Dave Stancil, ext 259p TELEPHONE NUMBERS: Hillsborough 732-8181 Chapel Hill 968-4501 Durham 688-7331 Mebane 336-227-2031 PURPOSE: To consider approving a resolution that would implement a policy governing open burning by governmental and non-profit entities receiving Orange County funds. BACKGROUND: The Board of Commissioners has been pursuing for a number of years mechanisms that would reduce the amount of inappropriate open burning of materials, particularly those associated with land clearing and site development activities. The County Attorney has been preparing a draft ordinance that would regulate burning of recyclable materials as one measure to help in this effort. The Board has also expressed interest in the past in establishing a policy that would require public and non-profit entities (and their agents) that receive County funding for capital projects and/or operational support to pursue open burning of vegetation and other debris o~ as a last resort. The attached resolution would enact a policy articulating that expectation of the County Commissioners and would minimize or eliminate instances where agencies use open burning to get rid of debris because they are unaware of the BOCC's perspective on the issue. FINANCIAL IMPACT: There is no direct, immediate financial impact associated with the adoption of the proposed open burning policy. However, there is some potential that County expenditures may be requested to assist entities in finding alternatives to open burning, as was the case with the County's financial contribution in 1999 to assist OCS in mulching land clearing debris from the Pathways Elementary School project site. RECOMMENDATION(S): The Manager recommends that the Board approve the attached resolution.