County Proposition #2: Voters to Approve or Reject Waste Usage Charge

Explanatory Statement: This measure will impose a user charge on property owners to pay for the expenses relating to solid waste disposal and recycling. The objective of this Ordinance is to create a system for providing solid waste disposal that protects public health and safety and to share the costs and expenses in a manner that is considered fair and equitable.

Presently, the management of solid waste disposal and recycling services are paid for based upon the weight or volume of items that are brought to the county facilities using what is called “tipping fees.” If this measure is adopted, a solid waste user charge will be assessed and paid by property owners. It is anticipated that tipping fees will be lowered beginning April 30, 2012, and in such an amount as needed to assure that the combination of all revenue from tipping fees and the solid waste user charges are limited to those amounts necessary to cover operational expenses, capital expenses and reserves, debt service, coverage ratios and reserves for warrants, notes, bonds and other evidence of indebtedness, all of which pertain only to the solid waste disposal system.

Statement For:

This ordinance will generate the funding necessary to maintain transfer stations, reduce tipping fees, and insure our ability to self-haul, recycle, reuse and reduce the volume and cost of waste we export to distant landfills.

Our narrow roads and abundant wildlife on many islands are not compatible with urban pickup solutions. How many garbage cans will we see on county roads, placed for access by large trucks? What will we do with things that don’t fit in a garbage can, that are still useable, or that are toxic? How will we prevent the foxes and raccoons from spreading the trash?

By maintaining our local capacity to collect and process our waste materials, we preserve our ability to respond to future economic conditions, to take advantage of the value of the reusable portion of our waste, and to sort out the toxic portion.

This ordinance recognizes our collective responsibility to provide for this essential public service in a way that supports the goals of Reduce, Reuse and Recycle. It keeps us from becoming dependent on roadside pickup. It is a fair way to apportion the costs and it will finally put our solid waste program on a sustainable, economic path

Statement prepared by

Bill Appel, Waldron Island
George Post, The Exchange, Orcas Island
Steve Revella, San Juan Island

Statement Against

The Council’s “new” approach is not so new. It’s just more of the same, but more expensive, and partly paid for differently. It leaves County, which has governed and managed the solid waste system badly for years, governing and managing the system.

The ordinance and “Plan A”:

• Charge individual parcel owners out of proportion to their garbage generation.
• Fail to make significant service improvements.
• Do not promise to improve wait times.
• Do not reduce costs, administrative or operating.
• Fund projects without firm cost estimates.
• Leave the system vulnerable to volume swings.
• Increase prices substantially in following years.
• Do not provide for island-specific local control.
• Continue commingled recycling rather than segregating materials.
• Reduce the incentive to “reduce”.

The San Juan County Solid Waste mess became obvious because of the economic downturn, but it’s been a mess for years. The ordinance and Plan A don’t fix it.

Don’t sign up for a 15 year parcel fee—and a blank check for the rest of the fees—for the same failed system. Please vote no.

Statement prepared by:

Sam Jacobson, San Juan Island
Ed Kilduff, Lopez Island
Allen Rosenberg, San Juan Island