HomeMy WebLinkAboutAdditional SWAC Meetings - Jim DocOctober 22, 2026
Solid Waste Advisory Meeting
Additional SWAC Meetings | Jim Friedman District #3
Background
Historically, 2011-2024, the Solid Waste Advisory Committee has met on a bimonthly basis for a total of six
regularly scheduled meetings as was defined in the committee bylaws. The bylaws were changed as the
result of new business during the January 2025 SWAC Meeting. The change was led by County staH and
agreed upon by the committee at the time. The minutes from the January 2025 meeting sum this up:
SWMP update/SWAC meeting schedule Al and Laura will lead the process of updating the
SWMP. To allow them time for this work, Al recommended SWAC regular meetings be
held quarterly on the fourth Thursday of January, April, July, and October, instead of the
current six times per year schedule. And, meetings would be two hours instead of 90
minutes starting at 3PM. Changing the meeting schedule requires revising section “11
Regular Meeting Schedule” of the SWAC Bylaws.
Current Challenges
Committee dynamics have changed since the January 2025 meeting. Multiple new members starting at the
same time requires more time for questions and information gathering. The schedule change resulted in a
reduction of total meeting time and was heavily focused on supporting the Solid Waste Ma nagement Plan
(SWMP). This restricts time for questions and limits discussion regarding the advisory responsibilities of the
committee to the Board of County Commissioners.
Current Solutions
The only current solution without impacting Public Works are subcommittees. The subcommittee would be
limited to less than a quorum and would need to meet without the use of County facilities. The County
recommended the use of someone’s house, a cafe, a picnic table, or inquiring with the County Library.
The County has made it very clear, without dedicated funding, there is no Department of Public Works
capacity to support staHing for additional regularly scheduled meetings. For reference, the number provided
by the county for staHing a clerk for a single regular meeting is 10 hours at a rate of $195 an hour for a total of
$1950. This includes time to prepare, attend, and document the meeting.
Future Considerations
1. Advise the Board of County Commissioners to encourage the Department of Public Works to include
dedicated funding for their required support for regular SWAC meetings. ( $1950 per additional
meeting )
2. Update the bylaws to allow for the possibility of a county clerk outside of the Department of Pu blic
Works to support SWAC meetings.
3. Once funding and available staHing is secured, special meetings can be scheduled with proper
notice or bylaws can be updated to increase the occurrence of regularly scheduled meetings as
needed.
NOTE: There is a non-negligible cost associated with updating the bylaws, but I was unable to get a clear
answer as to what the cost is.