AGENDA #8

 

MEMORANDUM

 

TO:                  Mayor and Town Council

 

FROM:            W. Calvin Horton, Town Manager

 

SUBJECT:       Orange County Solid Waste Management Plan Three-year Update

 

DATE:             May 10, 2004

 

 

The attached resolution would authorize the Mayor to communicate with the Orange County Board of Commissioners to request further discussion of the proposed Orange County Solid Waste Management Plan Three-year Update before it is submitted to the State.

 

BACKGROUND AND DISCUSSION

 

On December 17, 2003, we received from County Manager John Link a copy of Orange County’s draft of the Solid Waste Management Plan Three-year Update.  Orange County has requested that the Town of Chapel Hill endorse this plan as required by the State prior to submittal of the three-year update.  On April 14, 2004, the Town Council reviewed the plan and received public comment.  The report includes departures from the previous plan (for example: no materials recovery facility, no expansion of recyclables collected nor expansion within commercial services).  At the April 14 Council meeting and at the April 29, 2004 meeting of the Orange County Assembly of Governments, a number of issues were raised:

 

• The plan does not consider the possibility of including the construction of a materials recovery facility to handle both commingled recycled materials and additional materials generated from existing and expanded programs.

 

• The elimination of a “materials recovery facility” from the plan means that there is no identified way to achieve the Town’s waste reduction and recycling goals, including no provision for initiating and expanding commercial recycling programs.  The plan also would not support the Council’s goal of keeping a “pay-as-you-throw” residential refuse program as a possible future option.

 

• A $75.00 per year materials recovery fee is proposed to be charged to Chapel Hill citizens with no expansion of services.  We believe it would be helpful to have further discussion and explanation of costs of urban curbside recycling services in relation to the fee being proposed for such services. 

 

In view of the issues outlined above, we believe that it would be appropriate to request further discussion of the proposed solid waste management plan.  We recommend that the Council authorize the Mayor to communicate with the Board of County Commissioners, to initiate further discussion.  We recommend that the Council appoint representatives to meet with counterparts from the Board for these discussions.

 

We recognize that the County is working toward submittal of a plan soon, and believe that initial discussions should take place promptly.  One approach to moving forward would be to request that the Plan be modified to call for further consideration of developing a materials recovery facility, with discussions to take place during fiscal 2004-05, and with a final report of agreements reached to be submitted by May of 2005.  Such an approach would allow the County to submit a plan while holding open the final resolution of issues regarding the Town’s interest in a materials recovery facility.

 

RECOMMENDATION

 

We recommend the Council adopt the attached resolution authorizing the Mayor to communicate with the Orange County Board of Commissioners to request further discussion of the proposed Orange County Solid Waste Management Plan Three-year Update.  The resolution also would call for the Council to appoint representatives to participate in the discussion.

A RESOLUTION AUTHORIZING THE MAYOR TO COMMUNICATE WITH THE ORANGE COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS REQUESTING ADDITIONAL DISCUSSION OF THE PROPOSED ORANGE COUNTY SOLID WASTE MANAGEMENT PLAN THREE-YEAR UPDATE (2004-05-10/R-15)

 

WHEREAS, the Town Council has received and reviewed the proposed Orange County Solid Waste Management Plan Three-year Update; and

 

 WHEREAS, the Town Council wishes to have further discussion of two issues in the proposed Orange County Solid Waste Management Plan Three-year Update including:

 

• The possibility of including the construction of a materials recovery facility to handle both commingled recycled materials and additional materials generated from existing and expanded programs;

 

• The need for a $75.00 per month materials recovery fee as proposed to be charged to Chapel Hill citizens; and

 

WHEREAS, the Town Council desires to have further discussion with the Orange County Board of Commissioners about the proposed amended Solid Waste Management Plan and proposed materials recovery fee before it is submitted to the State;

 

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED by the Council of the Town of Chapel Hill that the Council authorizes the Mayor to communicate with the Orange County Board of County Commissioners to request further discussion with the Board concerning the Plan and fees and requests that the Board of County Commissioners authorizes representatives of the Board to meet with representatives of the Town Council.

 

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Council appoints ______________, _______________, and ________________ to represent the Town in such discussions.

 

This the 10^th day of May, 2004.