The Finance and Economic Development Committee met on March 28, 2025, to review the Department of Public Works' operating budget and capital improvement projects for Fiscal Year 2025-2026. The meeting included public testimony, a departmental overview, and detailed review of divisions including administration, fiscal, engineering, building inspection, auto maintenance, highways and roads, wastewater, and solid waste. Key discussions centered on staffing vacancies, sick leave abuse, equipment challenges, solid waste diversion, landfill expansion, and wastewater infrastructure priorities.
Okay, good morning. I'd like to call back to order the Finance and Economic Development Committee and the fiscal year 2025-2026 departmental budget reviews that directly reflect that all members are present. On the schedule today, we have Department of Public Works operating budget followed by public works projects contained in the CIP budget if time permits. Following the department's introductory remarks and any questions on their synopsis, we'll be taking public works divisions in the following order: admin, fiscal engineering, building inspection, auto maintenance, highways and roads, wastewater and solid waste last. Um as we do each morning, we'll take public testimony at the beginning really relating to any of the departments or agencies we're reviewing today. With a presentation. Oh, Joanne, you kimora, pardon me. Can you repeat that please? Um I'd like to speak on um how to solve the county's landfill problem, and in seeking to divert as much as we can, planning is usually done based on categories of materials um based on how the materials will be processed. And as you can see from our waste categorization study. Um oops. Oh well. Let me um you'll see that we have three main categories. The first is on the right, glass metal, plastic papers that are called the traditional recyclables, and that's 36% of what goes into the landfill. Um on the left, food and other organics, which includes sewage sludge and green waste, that consists of 28% of what goes into the landfill, and the third category is 24% inerts and other construction and develop uh demolition materials. Of the three categories, the largest is traditional recyclables. That's okay. Um analyze the projected costs. And I'd like to suggest that you and the public get the report as soon as possible at it as it is critical information to have before making budget decisions. The three categories which you see outlined there constitute 88% of what goes into the landfill. So the RFP that is out for a system that deals with long-term management. And I want to point out that composting is long-term management. Curbside recycling is long-term management and construction demolition is all long-term management. But that's your first three minutes, but I'll let you take your other three right now too. Thank you. So the RFP should just be dealing with the 12%, in my opinion. Because it should not allow respondents to do composting and recycling. That's a conflict of interest. And having a system that deals with all the wastes will make us dependent on a steady stream of trash. That is, in order for this new technology to deal, they're going to need all the trash they can get. Even if they take out some of the recyclables, they're gonna want as much as gives them to burn or to make into pellets or whatever. Um and then we have to pay for it, even though there may be ways to reduce our trash. If that all goes to the contractor who's gonna do the waste to energy, they're gonna keep wanting as much as they can get, and we're gonna keep wanting to give them as much as they can get if we have to pay for it, no matter if it's there or not. It's a terrible dilemma, and um uh I don't think that it's a good plan for how to deal with our solid waste. Thank you very much. Are there any questions? Thank you. Any uh follow up any clarifying questions? Simple clarifying questions without going deep. Don't need a deep answer, but you said you felt that the costs in the projections were inflated, and I just recognize how much inflation we've had over the last five to six years. So I know it's a lot higher than the 2017 study. What makes you think they're inflated? Thank you for that question because I'm seeing now that I use the wrong word. Okay. Um the county is rejecting the use of the resource center site. And if you have to get a new site, you have we already own the land there. So that will cut part of the cost. And um, as compared to what they're thinking now, if you get have to get a new place, you will likely have to purchase the land. Okay. And so that's an additional cost.