The York County Board of Supervisors voted unanimously at their Tuesday meeting to enact a proposal that incorporates the recycling program into the solid waste ordinance. The new system calls for a flat, monthly $18.50 fee for curbside pickup of both garbage and recyclables regardless of whether residents choose to take part in the recycling program.
The proposal initially called for a $24 monthly fee for citizens who elected not to take part in the recycling program, however this was rejected by supervisors, who chose to go with the single $18.50 fee for curbside pickup.
The proposal, which was praised by each of the supervisors during their discussion, includes a $1.50 per month increase in solid waste pickup to offset rising labor and fuel costs. This will be implemented on May 1, 2013, so that it will begin at the start of a new billing cycle. The increase is the first since 2005 and raises the monthly trash collection and disposal rate from $12.25 to $13.75. The package also includes a $4 recycling fee and a 75-cent fee for household chemicals and compost.
The resolution’s passage enables York County citizens to take part in a recycling perks program if they participate in curbside recycling. Residents will, by May 1, be issued a 96-gallon wheeled container for recyclables that includes an RFID chip to keep track of the volume of material they recycle. Registering the serial number of the container on the website of the contractor, TFC Recycling, will allow residents to be rewarded with coupons for local restaurants and businesses. These perks can be redeemed online.
Residents who elect not to participate in curbside trash collection service will not be required to pay the $18.50 fee. They may still use the Waste Management Center’s Transfer Station and Citizen Drop-Off Center at 145 Goodwin Neck Rd., however they will be charged a trash fee of $52 per ton, with a minimum fee of $7 that is pro-rated. Composting will be accepted at $38 per ton and yard debris at $75 per ton. Recyclables will be accepted at no charge.
The solid waste and recycling ordinance attracted a number of comments from members of the public. One speaker said that citizens of York County are adequately served by the Goodwin Neck Road facility and that curbside pickup of recyclables is an unnecessary expense. Another speaker said that it’s wrong to force those who elect not to take part in curbside recycling to pay the $4 recycling fee. Another speaker said that the county had not done a good job getting information about the ordinance to residents. He said the perks program and other parts of the proposal were not mentioned in newspapers and electronic media.
A representative from TFC Recycling discussed the perks program. She said that citizens who use it will save up to $25 per month at local businesses by redeeming their rewards online and that the purpose of the perks program is to drive money into local businesses.
Board Chairman Thomas Shepperd, Jr. and District 1 Supervisor Walter Zaremba both spoke to what they called a “policy statement” that comes out of the new ordinance.
“Call it what you want, but our policy is to get as much participation in things that are green as possible,” Zaremba said.
Citizens who only want curbside pickup of recycling must still pay the full $18.50 monthly fee, said York County Attorney James Barnett.
Concealed Weapons Permit Ordinance Tabled
The Board voted 4-0 to table the resolution concerning the removal of fingerprinting requirements from the York County concealed weapons ordinance after supervisors expressed concern about whether removal of the ordinance from the books was the best direction to take. Tabling the issue allows the Board to provide ample notice of a public hearing about eliminating the ordinance.
York-Poquoson Sheriff Danny Diggs said his office issues concealed weapons charges using the state statute instead of the county ordinance that’s currently in place. He said that as a matter of policy, the York County Sheriff’s Department does not use county ordinances to charge concealed weapons violations since the state does not reimburse for county charges that require jailtime or an attorney.
The Virginia Assembly voted this year to prohibit fingerprinting in the application process for concealed weapons permits. Diggs said nobody applying for a permit has undergone fingerprinting since July 1, in accordance with the General Assembly’s legislation.
The Board expects to revisit whether to repeal the ordinance sometime next year.
