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

DATE: July 2, 2001

TO: District Policy Committee Members

FROM: Jeffrey W. Aluotto, Solid Waste Manager
Cory R. Chadwick, Director

I. Introduction/Opening Comments

Policy Committee Information (Agendas, Manager's Memos, Minutes, etc.) now available on the District's Website at www.hcdoes.org. If you would like to receive an e-mail message of their availability on the web instead of receiving a hard copy, please contact Susan Schumacher at (513) 946-7734 or susan.schumacher@hamilton-co.org.

II. Clerk's Report/Additions to the Agenda

A. Approval of Minutes - May 10, 2001
Minutes from the May 10, 2001 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 946-7734 if you have items to add to the agenda.

A. Finance Subcommittee Briefings for June 28 and July 12, 2001
Mr. Graham will provide a brief report regarding the items discussed and reviewed at the Finance Subcommittee meetings of June 28 and July 12, 2001

B. Recommendation Regarding District Disbursements - SWR 04/2001
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 04/2001.

IV. Policy Items

A. HB 166 and SB 71

At the May 10 meeting of the District Policy Committee, the Committee discussed HB 166 and SB 71. These bills, as currently proposed in the General Assembly, would create a moratorium on new solid waste landfills, or expansions, in Ohio until such time as the State's siting criteria can be reviewed. OEPA is opposing these bills as it is their opinion that the state's siting criteria is already protective of the environment. In addition, rules are reviewed regularly in accordance with State law every five years.

From the District's perspective, these bills could have an adverse impact on Southwestern Ohio as this region currently has the lowest available disposal capacity at just over seven years. This compares to a state-wide average of twenty-two years. At the last meeting, Policy Committee members asked to see a memo detailing the State's siting criteria with regard to groundwater issues. This analysis is included as Attachment B. There was also some concern as to whether the District should adamantly oppose solid waste legislation which could provide some benefits to our region and the state as a whole. There was a suggestion made that would have the District comment on the proposed legislation from the perspective that landfill expansion permits, currently on file with OEPA, be exempted from the moratorium legislation. With these thoughts in mind, District Staff proposes the following:

STAFF RECOMMENDATION: District Staff recommends that formal correspondence be prepared and sent to Hamilton County's legislative delegation. In summary, this correspondence will detail the potential adverse effects of a moratorium on disposal capacity in Hamilton County and how the geologic premise on which the current legislation is built is not applicable to facilities operating in the District. This correspondence will suggest that, at a minimum, our legislators be prepared to ask that expansion permits, currently on-file with OEPA, be exempted from this legislation.

• Reduction Assistance Grant Allocations
  
  

District Staff have received and reviewed the applications for the Residential Reduction Assistance Grants. These grants are awarded annually to fund recycling programs in political subdivisions, schools, and non-profit organizations. The grant applications were brought before the Finance Subcommittee for initial review and are now being submitted to the Policy Committee for final approval. A summary of the grant applications and District recommendations are included as Attachment C.

STAFF RECOMMENDATION: District Staff recommends that the Reduction Assistance Grants be approved in accordance with recommendations from Staff and the Finance Subcommittee.

District Staff received proposals from firms to perform a secondary materials market study for the District. This one-time project will provide the District with recommendations on how to best position itself in order to be a catalyst for recycling market development in Hamilton County. Staff has analyzed these proposals, interviewed two consultants, and has come to the conclusion that RW Beck would best serve the needs of the District for this project. RW Beck plans on bringing on-board a team of nationally renowned experts to analyze the best possible market develop opportunities for Hamilton County. Staff feels that this project is necessary in order to provide guidance for the District's future efforts in recycling market development.

The project was initially budgeted at $25,000. Staff, however, in development of the RFP room was left for the project scope to be enhanced in order to take advantage of consultant ideas. The proposal from RW Beck was submitted at $76,800. While Staff feels this is a fair amount for the proposal offered, it has taken steps to negotiate some safeguards to ensure that District funds will only be spent for tangible results.

Phase I of the project will, by itself, provide substantial benefit to the District and will be performed for a dollar amount not to exceed $25,000. Following the conclusion of Phase I, the District will determine if the project should continue into Phase II. Phase II will seek to outline the most promising projects and programs the District could implement to develop markets for recyclables in Hamilton County. Phase II will be entered into for an amount not to exceed the remaining $51,800. Again, the District will determine, following the completion of Phase I, whether or not Phase II should be initiated.

STAFF RECOMMENDATION: District Staff recommends that the Policy Committee allow Staff to proceed with constructing a contract with RW Beck for performing a market development study for Hamilton County, and submitting said contract to the Board of County Commissioners for approval.

D. Ohio Materials Exchange (OMEX)

The District has recently been approached by the Ohio Materials Exchange (OMEX) which is asking for funding from solid waste districts to continue operations in the State. OMEX is a waste exchange catalog managed by the Association of Ohio Recyclers (AOR), very similar to The Interchange in that it matches industrial waste products with potential users of that material. While The Interchange operates on a localized level (Southwestern Ohio and Northern Kentucky), OMEX operates on a state-wide basis.

In the year 2000, OMEX was responsible for diverting approximately 80,000 tons of waste from landfill. That total figure nearly doubles its 1999 total. The publication typically carries around 600 listings and operates on a budget of approximately $70,000. Hamilton County contains approximately 1,700 businesses which currently receive OMEX.

It should be noted that District Staff does not view OMEX as a competing publication to The Interchange. On the contrary, it is most beneficial for firms in Hamilton County to have access to the concentrated, regional service offered by The Interchange while also having access to potential exchanges, on a state-wide level, when necessary. While most businesses may be best served by localized listings, markets for certain materials may exist only on a larger geographical basis. That being the case, and with the associated benefits offered by AOR, Staff would recommend the following:

STAFF RECOMMENDATION: District Staff recommends that the Policy Committee approve the District's 2001 subscription to OMEX and allow that future subscriptions to said publication be made as funding permits.

• Environmental Court