Solid Waste Advisory Commission

Athens-Clarke County Minutes of the Meeting of the Solid Waste Advisory Commission Wednesday, November 16, 2022 Present at Meeting: Commissioner Patrick Davenport, Michael Brugger, Taylor Maddalene-Myers, Matt DiPalma, Jared Harper, Heidi Davison, Susie Nowells, Starri Nowells, Jere Bowden, Abigail West, Stacee Farrell, Mason Towe, Joe Dunlop, Suki Janssen, and Susan Lyon (minutes). I. Welcome and Introductions Commissioner Davenport called meeting to order at 5:37 pm. II. Approval of Minutes: October 19, 2022 Heidi made a motion to approve minutes; seconded by Taylor, approved unanimously. I1I. Public Comments (per agenda) was not offered during the meeting. IV. Division Reports Printed copies available for members in attendance for review. Highlights/Questions on reports:  recycling contamination is down V. Old Business  AAH – Susan will send out a Doodle Poll for future clean-up dates.  By-Laws – No update from Sherrie VI. New Business Franchising – Presentation by Allison Trulock, Managing Partner with NewGen Strategies & Solutions, LLC Commissioner Davenport asked to hear from the private haulers present in the room. – Matt (AAA) – several HOA’s have contracts for service. He would like more input from community and to look at the price point. Suki suggested having ACC GIS map the neighborhoods with HOA contracts with haulers to see number of people affected. (Additional comments below from Curbside and Johnson and Son representatives.) Commissioner Davenport receives many complaints from residents in his district about noise in neighborhoods from multiple trucks throughout the week. His motivation in addressing franchising is resident-driven and they are looking for solutions. He believes there are two (2) issues to focus on: franchising/zoning and consistent quality of service by haulers. Matt believes that the local haulers are providing excellent customer service to customers. Suki stated that ACCSW receives the most complaints about private haulers for the following reasons: customer service (irregular collection, recyclables dumped in trash, haulers not offering true pay-as-you-throw service, unexpected charges when service is cancelled); inaccurate and incomplete waste reduction education; and litter complaints (some given to KACCB). Complaints are logged; can be provided with redactions. Commissioner Davenport requested a motion to suspend the rules to allow non-members present in the room a chance to speak. Jared made the motion; Michael seconded the motion; passed unanimously. Jimmy Johnson (Johnson and Son) – What happens if ACC receives a complaint? It is relayed to the hauler. Jennifer and Jesse Bonds (Curbside Sanitation) – They have been in business for 22 years. Their biggest concern is the customers right to choose. No one complains about all the delivery trucks in the neighborhoods. Their customers can get a person on the phone for customer service. Afraid that franchising would affect the medium to smaller haulers; not the large haulers. Believes franchising will result in higher pricing and take away profits from businesses. Take away self-haulers freedom. Is afraid that taking away competition between haulers will result in a loss of great customer service. For clarification purposes, the task given to SWAC regarding franchising is for a recommendation only. The ACC Mayor and Commission will make the final decision. SWAC is not responsible for franchising details. Heidi commented that there is inconsistency in service outside the USD (Urban Service District) and there is no way to enforce the ordinances that are currently in place. Franchising would create enforcement mechanisms and put ordinances in place with specific consequences. Allison stated that good franchise agreements can include side-door pick-up guidelines; tagging protocol to address customer behavior; habitual violations; customer service expectations; liquidate damages; etc. A good agreement would be a fair and equitable partnership between the municipality and the hauler. The best agreements are mutually beneficial for all involved. Starri noted that many of her neighbors are self-haulers since the landfill is close to them and it is less expensive than having a hauler. She is concerned with who will be responsible for funding the technology that is used in trucks by haulers. She recommends a customer survey to all ACC residents as a first step in the process. Jennifer (Curbside) is concerned who will be policing the violations and who will be responsible for contacting customers. Matt commented that the economy drives violations. Mason commented that his HOA has a contract with one (1) hauler and there is consistency and better pricing through contracting, which is a benefit with having only one (1) hauler. Suki sent out the data collected from the past decade, including Gwinnett County franchising. The haulers reported franchising to be more profitable. All customer complaints are received at a central call center. Based on the numbers of customers reported by haulers on the Waste Minimization Fee vs. the number of households in ACC, there is a discrepancy of 11,000 households without collection service. It is estimated that 1,000-2,000 self-haul to the landfill. What are the others doing? This does result in the increase in illegal dumping around the area. Stacee addressed habitual illegal dumping. ACC currently investing money into cameras and a PT Surveillance position. Several years ago, ACC staff partnered to research the amount of money being spent on illegal dumping. The conservative estimate was $900,000/annually to pick-up debris only and does not include any prevention measures. That money could be used for other programs in the community. Patrick requested feedback from Allison based on the commission’s conversation. Allison recommends customer survey (hard copy and online) and public meeting(s) as the next step. Keep the survey short. Suki reminded everyone that ACC conducted a survey and held three (3) public meetings within the last five (5) years. ACC contracted with a third party to moderate the meetings. ACC received 1,300 returned surveys. Suki would like to look at the costs of having additional surveys and meetings before beginning any process. Surveys and meetings have not been included in the ACCSW budget. The Mayor and Commission can allocate additional funds. Starri believes that $20/month is the maximum willing to pay. Mason mentioned implementing a way to track self-haulers at the landfill to possibly offer an option of opting out of franchising. Disposal of bulky waste, leaf & limb, and other services can be addressed in a franchise agreement. Currently, the ACC has 37 years of usage left on the landfill and there are no other areas zoned for a landfill; thus, a landfill will not be built in ACC. Transfer stations will be the option for waste disposal. ACCSW staff will be making a presentation on landfill capacity in the coming months to the Mayor and Commission. Patrick asked Allison if she had any data on self-haulers paying a fee into the franchising system in order to be allowed to self-haul. Allison will need to research. Some communities do have an environmental service fee as a base-line fee. Patrick would like to continue discussion at the next meeting. He recommends skipping December and meeting in January. Jere made a motion; seconded by Michael; motion approved. Abigail announced next Repair Café is scheduled for Nov. 27, 2022 at the CHaRM from 2 – 5 pm. A motion to adjourn meeting was made by Stacee, seconded by Michael, and approved unanimously. Meeting adjourned at 7:44 pm. Respectfully submitted by Susan Lyon: 01.25.23