James City County’s Board of Supervisors voted to enact a storm debris collection policy, which calls for curbside debris pickup during specific weather circumstances.
Vegetative debris — plants and trees — caused by storms will be collected by the county when both state and local Declarations of Emergency are issued to cover all or a significant part of the county.
The board will only declare local emergency when weather causes tree damage in all or significant parts of the county. When the board declares an emergency, a plan will be submitted to the board covering a plan for debris collection. A damage survey will detail the amount and degree of damage in the county, according to the board’s resolution, and the survey will be used to make debris collection decisions.
In weather events that don’t incite an emergency declaration, the board can direct assistance to residents. The direction will be done on a case-by-case basis and could include providing residents with information about debris collection, waiving Jolly Pond Convenience Center disposal fees or enacting bulk collection, which has a $75 per load fee.
Stonehouse Supervisor Jim Kennedy wanted to discuss a way to mitigate charging $75 per household for bulk curbside collection. He suggested encouraging neighborhood cooperation and communication to create a neighborhood pickup with a few stops for the $75 fee.
Currently, the county has a truck with capacity for 24 cubic yards used for bulk collections; a truck with a 30-cubic-yard capacity will be purchased. One cubic yard has the capacity to hold seven to 14 wheelbarrow loads, depending on the wheelbarrow size.
Berkeley Supervisor Mary Jones wanted to consider a policy in which the county would pay for bulk curbside collection. The storm debris collection policy gives supervisors the control over collection on a case-by-case basis. The board could vote to use county funds to cover future bulk pickup.
