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HomeMy WebLinkAbout04.29.2025 SWAC Specilal Mtg Minutes APPROVEDJefferson County, Washington State Solid Waste Advisory Committee (SWAC) Meeting Minutes Joint Special Meeting with Jefferson County Board of Commissioners Tuesday, April 29, 2025, 1:00 p.m. Jefferson County Courthouse – Commissioners’ Chambers 1820 Jefferson Street, Port Townsend, WA Hybrid Meeting Audio and video recordings posted under Meeting Recordings on this website https://www.co.jefferson.wa.us/483/Solid-Waste-Advisory-Committee Opening Business Meeting agenda posted on website on April 21, 2025. 1:00 p.m. Call to Order and Roll Call – Tracy Grisman, Chair SWAC Members Present for Roll Call: Heidi Eisenhour, County Commissioner Tracy Grisman, Chair & District #1 Steve Chappuis, District #2 Phil Sonne, Citizen-at-Large Steve King, City of Port Townsend Joey Deese, Waste Connections Sierra Young, Conservation District Kimberlie Webber, Port of Port Townsend SWAC Members Absent Don Rhoden, District #2 Rebecca Jewell, Citizen-at-Large Alysa Thomas, Skookum Site Manager Public Works Staff Present Al Cairns, Solid Waste Manager Chris Spall, Admin Staff Laura Tucker, Solid Waste Educator Guests/Visitors included: Commissioners Greg Brotherton and Heather Dudley-Nollette, Jefferson County Board of County Commissioners There is a quorum of SWAC members. 1. Public Comment included: • Provide more info than just the agenda prior to meetings • Proposal to move the recycling across the scales will increase traffic and make things worse. • Consider leaving recycling as is and raising the tipping fee to pay for it 2. Meeting Introduction – Al Cairns brought up a slide presentation on the screen and talked about the content 3. Discussion and Potential Action re: Capital funding needs. Slides and discussion on this topic included: • We can’t continue offering the current level of service and deferring the capital repairs and replacements needed at the Transfer Station • The level of service at our Transfer Station is the same or better than King County’s: o We accept more material types for disposal and recycling o King County’s per ton fee is $203 while ours is $171 o King County has 517 employees whereas we have 13 • We have delivered this level of service by deferring capital repairs & replacement. At the end of 2025 the capital fund will have approximately $453,000 but capital needs will be $4,187,00 • We need to change course. Staff recommends: o Increasing the per ton fee from $171 to $187 o Privatize recycling, which will save approximately $326,000 a year in recycling subsidies from the tipping fee. • Without the changes temporary closures due to equipment failure will impact service Discussion included: • Easy to get behind increasing tipping fee to cover deferred capital repairs. • Increasing fee to cover full cost of recycling and delaying privatizing recycling. • Fee increase of $15 (surcharge) is proposed to take effect August 1, 2025 • Solid Waste applying for loan from Public Works Board Motion made by Heidi to adopt a resolution for a capital surcharge on the per ton tipping fee rate effective August 1, 2025 and SWAC recommends that to the Board of County Commissioners (BoCC). Phil Sonne seconded the motion. Vote on the motion was unanimous by all SWAC members present. 4. Discussion and Potential Action re: Recycling program. Discussion on this topic included: • How would privatizing recycling work? Customers get a 96-gallon bin for curbside pickup, collected material baled at the facility, bales go to Pioneer MRF in Tacoma for material to be separated, and from there materials goes to market. Single-stream system, except for glass. It would be identical to what is offered in Clallam. In Mason County garbage and recycling services are bundled, which drives down the pickup cost. Garbage collection customers who also pay for curbside recycling is just 17% in Jefferson County and 51% in Clallam County. • Extending the current recycling program beyond April 1, 2026 when the current contract ends requires an RFP or a contract extension. • Solid Waste staff recommends privatizing recycling as of April 1, 2026. Heidi called for a motion to be made for SWAC to recommend to the Board of County Commissioners. that we privatize the recycling program effective April 1, 2026. Steve Chappuis moved and Phil seconded the motion. Discussion on the motion included: • A low-income discount rate for curbside recycling. • PUD could notify its low-income customers about discounted curbside recycling services. • Waste Connections works with customers to find an alternative pick up location if there is difficulty in getting a truck to their residence. • Plan now to educate community and summer tourists about the change. Use PUD billing inserts and Waste Connection emails to customers to get the word out. • The change will have cost impacts on the City of Port Townsend’s curbside collection program, Steve needs to discuss with City Council first, so he will not vote on this today. • Currently, no cost-effective solution nearby for glass recycling. Cheaper to dispose of it and less impact on the environment. A bottle bill will solve problem. Public comment on the motion included: Item being taken up for a vote that is on the agenda but no background information provided about this prior to the meeting. Vote on the motion: All voted in favor except Steve King, who abstained. Motion carried. SWAC members and staff interested in working on the recycling change education campaign: Tracy, Laura, Heidi, Phil, Joey, and Kimberlie. SWAC meeting adjourned at 2:28 p.m.