MANAGER'S MEMORANDUM

DATE: March 13, 2003

TO: District Policy Committee Members

FROM: Jeffrey W. Aluotto, Solid Waste Manager

Cory R. Chadwick, Director

I. Introduction/Opening Comments

NOTICE: This memo is for the meeting to be held on March 13, 2003. This meeting will be held at 2:00 p.m. at the Hamilton County Department of Environmental Services, 250 William Howard Taft Road, Cincinnati, Ohio 45219.

Policy Committee Information (Agendas, Manager’s Memos, Minutes, etc.) now available on the District’s Website at www.hcdoes.org.

II. Clerk's Report/Additions to the Agenda

A. Approval of Minutes - January 9, 2003 and February 3, 2003

Minutes from the January 9 and February 3, 2003 Policy Committee Meeting are included as Attachment A for the Policy Committee’s review and approval.

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. Finance Subcommittee Report

A. Finance Subcommittee Briefings for March 13, 2003

Mr. Graham will provide a brief report regarding the items discussed and reviewed at the Finance Subcommittee meeting of March 13, 2003.

B. Recommendation Regarding District Disbursements - SWR 02/2003

The Finance Subcommittee reviewed the expenditures at their meeting held prior to this meeting.

STAFF RECOMMENDATION: With any alterations or corrections noted by the Finance Subcommittee members or Policy Committee members, the Staff recommends approval of SWR 02/2003.

Policy Items A. Ohio Department of Natural Resources Waste Composition Study

The Ohio Department of Natural Resources is planning on conducting a waste composition study throughout the State of Ohio in 2003. The study will seek to provide empirical data on the types and quantities of waste disposed in Ohio’s landfills. The study will be important from several perspectives. First, it will provide actual weight and volume disposal data on 26 categories of materials. Typically, solid waste districts cite information from other states’ studies or generic data from Franklin and Associates when this information is required. Second, and most importantly, this study will provide information on the volume and weight of recyclables going to landfill. The study, therefore, will provide the District with data on how much progress can reasonably be achieved through recycling efforts in various areas.

Jan Voelker and Donna Stusek from ODNR will be present at this Policy meeting. ODNR has approximately $100,000 to commit to this statewide project and is looking to supplement this funding with assistance from Districts directly benefitting from the project. As Rumpke’s landfill is one of the targeted facilities, ODNR is requesting funding assistance from Hamilton County for this project. Specifically, they are requesting $15,525, 95% of which will go to fund the waste sorts at the landfill and lab fees.

Attachment B (links below) provides in depth information on the waste characterization project.

Staff Recommendation: It has been at least ten years since Hamilton County last collected this data. This project will provide useful information to further the District’s recycling efforts as we move into our next planning period. In addition, the District will benefit financially from the cost-sharing involved with ODNR and the other participating Districts. As such, Staff recommends that the District provide ODNR with an amount not to exceed $15,525 to carry out a waste characterization project at Rumpke’s landfill. This recommendation is contingent upon the study being performed at Rumpke’s Hughes Road facility. B. Proposed Reorganization of the Finance Subcommittee

The Finance Subcommittee was created shortly after the District’s formation in order to provide oversight on District spending and to provide consistent analysis to trends in revenues and expenditures. Over the past decade the FSC has been very useful in this role and has provided guidance to the Policy Committee on various matters relating to District funding and spending.

While the need for the FSC still exists, Staff, in consultation with members of that Subcommittee, is proposing a reorganization of the FSC. The reorganization would alter, to some degree, the role that the FSC currently plays in District operations. Under the proposal, the FSC will play a more active role in consideration of the District’s budget from a policy perspective. The number of FSC meetings will be reduced, but each of those meetings will be more comprehensive in scope. Some of the more basic tasks of the FSC (monthly spending review, revenue reports) will be incorporated into agenda items during regularly scheduled Policy Committee meetings. Highlights of this proposal include the following: FSC meetings will be limited to three meetings per year (unless special purpose meetings are called).

The FSC will meet in February to preview the coming year.

The FSC will meet in July, following the May Policy Committee meeting, to review the Solid Waste District’s draft budget with Staff to ensure that it is inclusive of current policy priorities.

The FSC will meet in November for a year end review.

Please see Attachment C for a more detailed summary of this proposed schedule. As part of this proposal, a purchase order update (or spending update) and a report on revenue trends will be included as a portion of regular Policy Committee meetings. Staff Recommendation: District Staff recommends that the role of the FSC be amended in accordance with the outline presented in Attachment C along with any alterations or additions which may be suggested by the District Policy Committee.

Household Hazardous Waste

At a previous meeting, the Policy Committee approved a plan for the District to move forward with HHW programming over the coming years. That plan included holding 4 collection events in 2003 and conducting a permanent facility pilot project during 2004. Dr. Evert has proposed the idea of a publicly owned and operated permanent HHW Recycling Center which might integrate other research and recycling functions as well. Although this plan might take some time to implement, the Policy Committee may wish to authorize that staff begin researching this idea for incorporation into the next planning period.

Dr. Evert has also requested time to show a presentation he has created on HHW and a video detailing permanent HHW facilities.

V. Informational Items

A. Republic’s Evendale Transfer Station

Republic - CSI held the first public hearing on the relocation of their Evendale Transfer Station on Thursday February 20. The proposal is for the transfer station to be relocated within Evendale 2,000 feet south of the intersection between Sharon Rd. and Evendale Dr. The facility would be capable of processing 1,000 tons per day. B. Yardwaste Collection

The District’s Yard Waste drop-off sites will re-open on March 29. Last year approximately 30,000 cars accessed the District’s yard waste sites.

C. HHW Collection Events

The Spring HHW collection events will be held on April 26 at Bayer Corporation in Addyston and May 3 at Ethicon Endo Surgery in Blue Ash.

The Fall HHW collection events will be held on October 18 at Winton Woods High School in Forest Park and October 25 at Coney Island in Anderson Township.

D. Green Products Expo

The Green Products Expo will be held on May 21 at the Sharonville Convention Center. Last year’s Keynote Speaker was Alicia Culver from Inform. This year’s Keynote Speaker will be Ed Pinero who is the Deputy Director of the Office of the Federal Environmental Executive.

E. District Plan Update

The District will be soliciting proposals from private consultants later in 2003 for the update of the District’s Solid Waste Management Plan. According to the OEPA’s schedule, the District is to have a consultant on-board, and be in the process of initiating the Plan Update by 1/18/04. OEPA’s schedule sets an initial Draft Plan due date of 4/15/05 and a final submission date of 10/18/06. Attachment D details staff’s projection of the timeline for this Plan update. F. City of Cincinnati Update

The District continues to meet with Staff from the City of Cincinnati and assist them with issues relating to their curbside recycling and yardwaste projects. With regard to curbside recycling, the District has assisted City Staff in researching bid specifications for a revised recycling program and accompanied City Staff to meetings with vendors to explore various programmatic options. With regard to yard waste, the District participated in a kick-off session with RW Beck and District Staff on February 19. VI. Tentative Future Agenda Items

VII. Policy Committee Members' Comments

VIII. Public Comments

IX. Upcoming District Meetings

The date and time of the next regularly scheduled Policy Committee meeting will be Thursday, May 8, 2003, at 2:00 pm at the Hamilton County Department of Environmental Services, 250 William Howard Taft Road, Cincinnati, Ohio 45219.

X. Adjournment (Target Time: 3:30 p.m.)