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HEARING - Community Development Services, Environmental Management Department, recommending the Board consider the following:
1) Adopt and authorize the Chair to sign Resolution 187-2017, which approves and authorizes the Chair to sign the Third Amendment to the Solid Waste Services Franchise Agreement with Waste Connections of California, Inc., doing business as El Dorado Disposal Service, for providing biweekly green waste cart collection service, May through October of each year, to residential customers located in Franchise Service Area B, Grizzly Flats Community, beginning May of 2018; and
2) Adopt and authorize the Chair to sign Resolution 188-2017, which adjusts the rates upward by $3.50 per month for each cart size, effective January 1, 2018, to provide biweekly green waste cart collection service in accordance with the Third Amendment to the El Dorado Disposal Service Solid Waste Services Franchise Agreement. (Est. Time: 20 Min.)
FUNDING: User Fees, Franchise Fees. (No Federal Funds)
Body
DEPARTMENT RECOMMENDATION
Community Development Services (CDS), Environmental Management Department (Environmental Management), recommending the Board consider the following:
1) Adopt and authorize the Chair to sign Resolution 187-2017, which approves and authorizes the Chair to sign the Third Amendment to the Solid Waste Services Franchise Agreement with Waste Connections of California, Inc., doing business as El Dorado Disposal Service (El Dorado Disposal), for providing biweekly green waste cart collection service, May through October of each year, to residential customers located in Franchise Service Area B, Grizzly Flats Community (Grizzly Flats), beginning May of 2018; and
2) Adopt and authorize the Chair to sign Resolution 188-2017, which adjusts the rates upward by $3.50 per month for each cart size, effective January 1, 2018, to provide biweekly green waste cart collection service in accordance with the Third Amendment to the El Dorado Disposal Solid Waste Services Franchise Agreement.
DISCUSSION / BACKGROUND
At the request of the Grizzly Flats Fire Safe Council (Fire Safe Council), El Dorado Disposal is proposing to provide green waste (i.e., lawn clippings, leaves, weeds, tree branches, pine needles, shrubs, garden trimmings, etc.) reduction options for residents of Grizzly Flats from May through October of each year. It is during this period that incidents of wildfires are most prevalent and the amount of vegetation and debris are the greatest.
In the spring of 2016, the Fire Safe Council reached out to County staff and El Dorado Disposal to determine if residential biweekly green waste cart collection service (green waste collection) was an option for El Dorado Disposal Franchise Service Area B (Area B) customers. Area B, formerly the Amador Disposal Service area in the southern portion of the County’s west slope, includes the communities of Fairplay, Somerset, Mount Aukum, Omo Ranch, and Grizzly Flats. El Dorado Disposal conducted a survey of all Area B customers to gauge interest in adding curbside green waste collection service. Customers had the option of returning hard copies of the surveys free of charge or completing the survey online. The results of the survey indicated insufficient customer interest in adding curbside green waste collection service in all of Area B.
Subsequent to receiving the survey results, the Fire Safe Council requested the County and El Dorado Disposal explore the feasibility of providing curbside green waste collection service just to the community of Grizzly Flats. A town hall meeting was organized and conducted by the Fire Safe Council on June 7, 2017, at the Grizzly Flats Community Center. At this meeting, El Dorado Disposal provided information about curbside green waste collection services and received positive feedback from those in attendance.
There are approximately 400 residents in the Grizzly Flats service area. Only those residents within Area B-Grizzly Flats, will receive biweekly green waste collection service. Currently El Dorado Disposal customers in Area B receive weekly curbside municipal solid waste collection service (municipal waste collection) and may select from a 35-, 64-, or 96-gallon cart option, and biweekly recycling service with up to two 64- or 96-gallon carts, with a maximum total of three carts allowed. With the addition of green waste collection service in Grizzly Flats, customers may receive up to four carts maximum with the option of having two green waste carts and one recycling cart, or two recycling carts and one green waste cart, along with their municipal waste collection cart.
In order to provide residential biweekly green waste collection service to Grizzly Flats on an annual basis, El Dorado Disposal has determined the need to increase the current monthly rate to residential customers by an additional $7.00 per month for the six-month period of May through October. This represents an increase of $42 per year, which will be prorated over a 12-month period, resulting in residential customers paying an additional $3.50 per month for this new collection service.
The potential benefits of biweekly residential green waste collection service to the customer include:
1) Cost savings with curbside collection instead of self-hauling or paying a third party to haul green waste to the El Dorado Disposal, Material Recovery Facility;
2) Reduced burning of green waste and risk of wildfires by providing residents with carts to dispose of green waste;
3) Encouraging the residents to clear green waste in the recommended area for defensible space around their residences; and
4) Reduced potential for fire hazards caused by illegally dumped green waste.
Environmental Management has not identified any negative impacts regarding the addition of biweekly green waste collection service for Grizzly Flats.
In accordance with County Ordinance 8.42.170 and Government Code section 66016, notice of the time, date, place, and purpose of the public hearing to adopt the proposed collection rate adjustments has been duly noticed to affected ratepayers. At the request of Environmental Management, a public hearing notice was published in the Mountain Democrat on November 22 and November 29, 2017 (Attachment 6E). In addition, El Dorado Disposal noticed every affected customer by postcard (Attachment 6F).
ALTERNATIVES
The Board may choose not to consent to the implementation of biweekly green waste collection service for Area B-Grizzly Flats customers. These customers will continue to receive weekly curbside municipal waste collection and biweekly recycling services, and their current rates for services will not increase to cover the cost of the additional green waste collection service.
OTHER DEPARTMENT / AGENCY INVOLVEMENT
El Dorado Disposal
Grizzly Flats Fire Safe Council
CAO RECOMMENDATION
It is recommended that the Board approve this item.
FINANCIAL IMPACT
The increase in rates charged by El Dorado Disposal is directly related to the cost to provide this service to customers. The County’s Franchise Fee will remain at 5%; however, as rates are incrementally increased, the County will see a slight increase in Franchise Fee revenue.
CLERK OF THE BOARD FOLLOW UP ACTIONS
1) Clerk of the Board will obtain the Chair’s signature on the one (1) original copy of the Third Amendment Resolution and the Rate Increase Resolution, and forward a copy of each signed Resolution to CDS Environmental Management, attention of Tom Meyer.
2) Clerk of the Board will obtain the Chair’s signature on two (2) original copies of the Third Amendment to the El Dorado Disposal Solid Waste Services Franchise Agreement, and forward one (1) original signed copy to CDS Environmental Management, attention of Tom Meyer, for distribution.
STRATEGIC PLAN COMPONENT
Healthy Communities
CONTACT
Greg Stanton, Director
Community Development Services, Environmental Management Department