title
Non-Ad Valorem Assessment for Solid Waste Management (B)
ORDINANCE NO. 160166
An ordinance of the City of Gainesville, Florida, providing consent for the entire corporate limits of the City of Gainesville, Florida to be included in the non-ad valorem assessment for the municipal service benefit unit created by Alachua County for certain solid waste management services for the fiscal years 2016-2017 and 2017 - 2018; providing conditions for the consent; providing that the consent is for the two-year period; providing a severability clause; providing a repealing clause; and providing an immediate effective date.
explanation
Since October 1, 1997, the Alachua County Commission has approved a non-ad valorem assessment for solid waste management in order to cover the cost of the Waste Alternatives program, the Household Hazardous Waste program and approximately 36% of the Rural Collection Center program. Beginning with the 1997-98 fiscal year, all municipalities in Alachua County, except for LaCrosse, have approved ordinances allowing the collection of the assessment within their respective municipal limits. The City's current ordinance expires September 30, 2016.
On July 21, 2016, the City Commission directed the City Attorney to prepare this ordinance extending the collection of the County's special assessment within the City until September 30, 2018.
This consent is given only as to an assessment to fund the following:
The Waste Alternatives Program provides public education and resources for our community emphasizing a new philosophy in waste reduction: Embrace Zero Waste. Zero Waste encourages the elimination of the inefficient use of our resources. Waste Alternatives programs help accomplish this by focusing on source reduction, reuse, recycling, composting, household hazardous waste and litter prevention through a variety of learning tools. Waste Alternatives Specialists visit schools throughout the County using a curriculum approved by the school board for students in grades Pre-K through 12. Waste Alternatives staff also provides presentations to civic groups and businesses. A large multi-media campaign supports the program and serves as an additional outreach mechanism to our community. Waste Alternatives also provides recycling containers for special events, manages the Alachua County commercial recycling program, sponsors special recycling events, operates a reusable resource center for teachers (Tools for Schools) in cooperation with the Alachua County School Board, and acts as liaison between the waste haulers and recyclers and residents and businesses. These activities are county-wide and include all municipalities.
The Alachua County Environmental Protection Department's Hazardous Waste program provides collection, recycling and disposal of Household Hazardous Waste (HHW) including automotive fluids, paints, toxic chemicals, fluorescent lamps and electronic scrap through the Alachua County Household Hazardous Waste Collection Center at the Leveda Brown Environmental Park, at the Rural Collection Centers and through periodic mobile HHW collection events throughout the county. In addition, the program provides emergency response for hazardous materials incidents, inspection and monitoring of small quantity hazardous waste generators and complaint investigations regarding hazardous materials and wastes. The program also provides, on a fee basis, hazardous waste disposal services for conditionally exempt small quantity generators of hazardous waste. All activities are county-wide and include all municipalities.
The Rural Collection Centers provide drop-off sites for residential solid waste, recycling and non-toxic household hazardous waste. The Rural Collection Centers are funded through two sources. Approximately 64% of the funds come from the Rural Collection Center assessment (assessed to rural residents of unincorporated Alachua County) and about 36% from the Solid Waste Management assessment (assessed to all residents of the county except for rural, unincorporated residents). The proportion from each funding source is based upon a survey of users of the collection centers to determine what percentage are rural residents as compared to municipal and County mandatory curbside collection residents.
The Solid Waste Facilities Cost includes the cost of providing, maintaining, operating, and monitoring the Solid Waste Management Facilities known as "closed landfills" (including the Northeast, the Northeast Auxiliary, the Southeast and the Northwest closed landfills) and the property intended for future Solid Waste Management Facilities known as Balu Forest.
Renewing the solid waste management assessment for two (2) years will continue the current arrangement through the end of FY 2018. The City's Interlocal Agreement for Solid Waste Management Services with Alachua County expires December 31, 2018.
Fiscal Note
The City's Solid Waste Utility will cover the cost of advertisement of the ordinance hearings.
recommendation
The City Commission adopt the ordinance.