Hamilton County Solid Waste Management District

 

Policy

 

HAMILTON COUNTY ENVIRONMENTAL SERVICES -
SOLID WASTE MANAGEMENT DISTRICT
MANAGER'S MEMORANDUM

DATE:            March 14, 2008

TO:                 District Policy Committee Members

FROM:           Holly Christmann, Solid Waste Manager
Cory R. Chadwick, Director

 I.      Introduction/Opening Comments

NOTICE: This memo is for the meeting to be held on March 20, 2008. The meeting will begin at 9:30 am at Hamilton County Environmental Services located at 250 William Howard Taft, Cincinnati, Ohio 45219.

Policy Committee Information (Agendas, Manager=s Memos, Minutes, etc. ) are available on the District=s Website at www.hamiltoncountyrecycles.org.

II.     Clerk's Report/Additions to the Agenda

         A.     Approval of Minutes – Minutes from the January 17, 2008 Policy Committee meeting are included as Attachment A.

B.     Additions to the Agenda
Please contact Susan Schumacher at 513-946-7734 or susan.schumacher@hamilton-co.org if you have items to add to the agenda.

III.     District Revenue Updates/Analysis

Updates will be provided on current revenue receipts and comparisons with prior years, as included in Attachment B.  Comparisons of District revenue and disposal tonnages, by quarter, are also included in Attachment B. 

IV.     Policy Items

A.        Request for District Funding for Urban Timber Survey

As reported in previous meetings, a grant was submitted by the Cincinnati Park Board Foundation to raise awareness on using urban trees as a source of lumber, further develop and identify markets for urban timber, and identify sawmill operators and kilns with all of the pieces culminating in the development of a business plan.   

As part of the scope of this project, the District was approached as a potential funding partner for an urban timber survey.  The goal of an urban timber survey is to estimate the abundance, quality, and accessibility of saw logs contained in the trees of Hamilton County’s urban forest.  The findings from the survey could provide an estimate of the board feet of potential lumber available within Hamilton County’s urban forest. 

The project is similar in scope to one that was conducted in southeastern lower Michigan funded by the Southeast Michigan Resource Conservation and Development Council and the Michigan Agricultural Experiment Station.  Included as Attachment C is the proposal submitted by Sam Sherrill seeking District funding of $40,000 - $50,000. 

Staff believes the following concerns and questions should be addressed:  

·        Does this project fall under the allowable uses of District funds as set by the Ohio Revised Code?

·        This plan should be endorsed by the Cincinnati Park Board and the Hamilton County Park District.

·        The Cincinnati Park Board is developing an urban timber utilization program in partnership with Cincinnati Public Schools.  Is an urban timber study necessary given that a program is already being developed? As discussed in previous meetings, the Cincinnati Park Board has a contract with a portable sawmill operator to mill urban trees that are scheduled for removal.  This material will be used in the construction of the new Cincinnati Public Schools. 

Staff Recommendation:  Staff recommends receiving formal input by the Cincinnati Park Board and Hamilton County Park District prior to addressing this issue.

B.        Waste Generator Representative

The District received four applications for the waste generator representative of the Policy Committee.  The selection committee met and interviewed all candidates on February 19th.  As a result of those interviews, the committee is prepared to recommend that Joe Maas of JTM Food Group be appointed to serve as the Waste Generator Representative of the Policy Committee.

V.     Information/Discussion Items

A.       District Carryover Balance

As of January 1, 2008, the District’s carryover balance is $2.9 million, which is approximately $900,000 above the Policy Committee’s decision to maintain eight months operating costs in the carryover.  The Committee requested that Staff develop a list of program options for the excess carryover balance.  Attachment D includes a brief list of potential projects which may merit funding through the spending of carry-over dollars.  This list is not all-inclusive and is for informational purposes only.   

It is important to note that the District will begin the process of updating the solid waste management plan in 2009.  As such, the District will initiate a contract with a consulting firm to assist with the plan update.  This cost is predicted to be $50,000 - $100,000;   therefore, any discussion and/or decisions on the use of the carryover balance should take the plan update costs into consideration. 

B.       Policy Committee – General Interest Member

The District is soliciting applications for the General Interest Member of the Policy Committee.  District staff is in the process of reviewing the applications.  A recommendation for this position will be presented at the May, 2008 Policy Committee meeting.

C.       Hamilton County Green Initiatives

To assist Hamilton County in meeting the recently adopted environmental stewardship policy, the District is developing a plan to increase recycling within County buildings.  The plan will first address increasing recycling in buildings that are currently recycling.  The second step will expand recycling to other County buildings.

D.       Go Green Challenge Recognition Ceremony

On April 22nd, the District, in partnership with Cincinnati Children’s Hospital, University of Cincinnati, The Christ Hospital, and Keep Cincinnati Beautiful will participate in the Go Green Challenge recognition ceremony.  This ceremony will congratulate and recognize the businesses and organizations that enrolled in the Go Green Challenge.  The event will be held from 8:30 a.m. – 10:30 a.m. at Paul Brown Stadium.

E.       Hamilton County Environmental Services’ Youth Council

The Hamilton County Department of Environmental Services is developing a youth council where Hamilton County high school students will have the opportunity to learn about air quality and solid waste management.  Students will also advise staff on the best ways to provide information and outreach, provide new program ideas, and offer feedback and guidance on solid waste and air quality programs.

Environmental Services is currently soliciting applications for the Youth Council through May 1st.  The bi-monthly meetings will begin in the fall of 2008.

F.       Solid Waste Intern

As the workload of the District continues to increase, there is a need to hire an intern to assist with programs including: Recycling at Work, Go Green Challenge, Public Recycling Container Loan Program, community outreach, CFL disposal, and the County’s greenhouse gas initiatives.  The approximate cost for an intern is $15,000 - $17,000/year.  The District anticipates hiring an intern by the end of the year.

VI.          Tentative Future Agenda Items  

VII.        Policy Committee Members' Comments  

VIII.       Public Comments

 IX.         Upcoming District Meetings

The next Policy Committee meeting is scheduled for May 15, 2008. This meeting will be held at Hamilton County Environmental Services, 250 William Howard Taft Road, Cincinnati, Ohio 45219 at 9:30 am.

X.          Adjournment (Target Time: 11:00 am)