ALLEN COUNTY SOLID WASTE MANAGEMENT DISTRICT

Budget Adoption & Board Meeting

Monday August 25, 2015

Present:

Vice Chair: Don Gerardot, Secretary: Therese Brown, Nelson Peters, Tom Henry, Russ Jehl, Larry Brown

Also Present:

Tony Burrus: Director, District Attorney: William Fishering

Budget Meeting

Don Gerardot: Called the meeting to order at 10:34 a.m.

Tony Burrus: Presented 2016 Budget with small increases in personnel, capital and specific HHW programs. Our projected income is $1,200,000. Therese Brown: Motion to approve the 2015 Budget

Tom Henry inquired about promotional budgeting for new residential HHW drop-off program.

Tony Burrus replied that in the most current agreement the promotions were limited after discussions with the fire department. Too many people at the drop-off could be very problematic and the drop-offs would be on an appointment basis. The Solid Waste District will be working with neighborhoods and associations.

Matt Gratz inquired about the inclusion of the residential drop-off program’s labor costs.

Russ Jehl stated that in the last few years the gap had narrowed between expenses and income and this year it was widening. Tony Burrus stated that this may be a continuing trend based on decreased materials being landfilled. Several methods to increase the income were stated by Tony Burrus:

·  Increase ‘in-district’ tipping fees ( income increase of $4 – $500,000 annually)

·  Cut programming

·  Raise user fees for programs

·  Impose a flat rate on households in Allen County

Tony Burrus spoke of replacement and repair costs anticipated for yard waste equipment at the end of 2016 or 2017.

Therese Brown: Motion to approve the 2016 Budget

Nelson Peters: 2nd

Motion passed 6/0/0

Don Gerardot: Meeting adjourned. 10:56 a.m.

Board Meeting

Don Gerardot: Called the meeting to order at 10:56 a.m.

Therese Brown: Motion to approve the July Meeting minutes.

Tom Henry: 2nd

Motion passed 6/0/0

The HHW Contract for the proper disposal was put to bid. Veolia has consistently offered better service.

Therese Brown: Motion to award the 5 year contract for HHW pickup to Veolia

Larry Brown: 2nd

Motion passed 6/0/0

Reviews of the Ordinances from 2004 and 2009 have proven to be contradictory. Nelson Peters suggested the 09-01 ordinance which established guidelines for expenditures outside of the Solid Waste Districts Budget and programs were setting parameters. The conflict was evident in a 2002 clause reading “rainy day funds established not to exceed 1.5 times the annual budget” and the 2009 ordinance which read “rainy day funds must be kept at not less than 1.5 times the annual budget.” Also the circumstances in which funds may be granted was thought to be too specific by some board members.

There was much discussion about the merits of repealing the ordinances and setting forth, or not setting forth, written guidelines for granting funds spent outside the Solid Waste Districts programs and department. It was concluded that Tony Burrus should submit suitable guidelines to the Board at the September meeting that would better meet goals and clarify the Rainy Day Fund balance.

Nelson Peters stated the use of Solid Waste District funds should only be considered after all other avenues of funding are exhausted: FEMA, Indiana Disaster Recovery Funds and local options.

Therese Brown summarized that there was a need to start over with guidelines for evaluating requests for Solid Waste funds: a process to deny or approve – regardless of whom was asking for funds. This new guideline would then allow the repeal of 04-02 and 09-01. The guidelines are just guidelines: providing a reasonable way the board might look at requests.

Tom Henry: Motion to strike ordinances 04-02 and 09-01 and come back next month with new guidelines.

Russ Jehl: 2nd

Don Gerardot: opposed

Motion passed: 5/1/0

Director’s Report:

Tox Away Day is upcoming on September 12th and Tire Day on October 3rd.

Early meeting will be held next month on September 22.

Austin Carpenter, HHW coordinator, accepted another position

Review of Claims:

Therese Brown: Motion to approve Claims

Russ Jehl: 2nd

Motion passed: 6/0/0

Public Comments:

Dick Hoeppner, Mayor of Woodburn, asked for consideration in funding the 2 additional 8 yard trailers needed to enable the outlying residential recycling. This had been a service provided by a local church and citizens whose recycling are not included in the City of Woodburn program continue to need the trailers to recycle. Dick did not feel the city residents should be paying for non-city residents to recycle. The City of Woodburn is not currently charged by Earth First for the two trailers. However they will be charged in 2016.

Tony Burrus stated that a 40 yard trailer emptied every week costs $19,500 annually. The district had worked with Woodburn in education: breakdown the cardboard boxes and prohibit businesses from taking their cardboard and recycling to the trailers. Burrus stated that the trailer size Earth First provides was non-specific in their contract with Woodburn – the contract only stated “appropriate size” and the size provided is not appropriate. The Solid Waste Districts encourages county residents to use other manned drop-offs located throughout Allen County.

Don Gerardot asked that the specific costs of the two trailers in 2016 to be provided.

Dick Hoeppner inquired as to the specific cost of the 40 yard trailer provided by the district in Monroeville.

Burrus stated the trailer provided was for all citizens of the area – not the City of Monroeville.

Dick Hoeppner will provide the anticipated costs.

Don Gerardot: Meeting adjourned. 11:17 a.m.

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