MANAGER'S MEMORANDUM

DATE: May 30, 2003

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 June 5, 2003. This meeting will be held at 9:30 am 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 - March 13, 2003

Minutes from the March 13, 2003 Policy Committee Meeting is 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. District Revenue Updates

Updates will be provided on current revenue receipts and comparisons with prior years, as included in Attachment B.

Representatives from the local affiliate of the US Green Building Council will be in attendance to discuss issues relating to future Green Building initiatives in Hamilton County.

Policy Items

District Policy Priorities

As budget preparation time is once again nearing for Hamilton County departments, this portion of the meeting will allow Policy Committee members to submit ideas for consideration in the District’s 2004 budget deliberations. Ideas and suggestions will then be analyzed by Staff and the Finance Subcommittee after which time a report will be delivered back to the Policy Committee on the operational, financial, and legal feasability of suggested programs. The District’s Policy Priorities is included in Attachment C.

Included as Attachment D is a memorandum from the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency asking if the District will consent to waiving its disposal fees on material involved in two beneficial reuse projects occurring in Hamilton County. The Policy Committee has previously agreed that staff should evaluate these projects both from an environmental and financial perspective before recommending a fee waiver. In this particular case, it does not appear as if the cumulative financial impact (approximately $12,500 per year) would be enough to recommend against waiving these fees. However, it does not appear as if all relevant agencies have had the opportunity to review these projects from an environmental perspective. The memo states that the projects are still being reviewed by the Division of Surface Water and other local agencies. It is possible that by the date of the Policy Committee meeting this information might be available. If so, Staff will provide a full recommendation on these projects at that time.

A. Household Hazardous Waste and Computer Collection Events

• Approximately 100 local government employees and purchasers turned out to the Sharonville Convention Center to attend the District’s 2^nd Green Expo and Environmentally Preferable Purchasing Vendor Fair on May 21. Attendees received training on incorporating EPP into activities relating to: Cleaning Products, Landscaping, Pest Management, Energy Efficiency, Green Building, and more. Once again, the Expo received excellent reviews from attendees and vendors alike.
• As one of its EPP Pilot Programs for the year, the District has agreed to provide $9,000 to the Hamilton County River City Correctional Center for the purchase and installation of recycled content carpeting in their facility. Several aspects of this project make it an excellent EPP project. First, the carpet backing is composed of 100% recycled materials and the carpet, in general, is 30%-50% recycled material. In addition, the current carpet will be removed and recycled as opposed to landfilled. The District agreed to pay only for these portions of the project which were environmentally preferable. This was easily determined from the manufacturer’s bid spec sheets.

A response from the Prosecutor’s Office, regarding the issue of District Designation, is included as Attachment E. At this point, this item is submitted as an informational item for the Policy Committee’s review. The Prosecutor recommends that the language in the District’s Plan be amended to clarify the District’s position on this issue. This issue should be considered during the writing of the next District Plan set to occur in 2004.

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. While District Staff have been assisting City staff with issues relating to the recycling program, RW Beck has been gathering data relating to operation of the City’s yardwaste collection program. A more in-depth update will be provided at the Policy Meeting.

VIII. Policy Committee Members' Comments

The date and time of the next regularly scheduled Policy Committee meeting will be determined at a later date. The location of the meeting will remain at the Hamilton County Department of Environmental Services, 250 William Howard Taft Road, Cincinnati, Ohio 45219.

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