Need more on Prop. 2? Here’s what the County Council has to say about it

After more than four hours of word smithing, the San Juan County Council Tuesday passed a resolution that it believes explains what's at stake for the future of the county's solid waste operation, depending on the Nov. 8 election and the outcome of Proposition 2.

October 20, 2011 6:54 pm

The San Juan County Council devoted more than four hours at its Oct. 11 meeting to defining the issues surrounding the Solid Waste Charge proposal, aka Prop. 2, it placed on the Nov.8 ballot, and incorporating those issues into a resolution to inform voters.

The result is the council’s view of how the county solid waste operation will be managed after the election, whether the issue passes or fails. The resolution is available online at:http://sanjuanco.com/SolidWasteOptions .

If approved, the solid waste charge would be assessed on all developed parcels of land, except those within the town of Friday Harbor. The annual base charge for the first year was set at $100 for each residential parcel containing a single family home. The charge is proportionately higher or lower on parcels with different types and amounts of development, based on studies on the amount of waste each different type of parcel typically generates.

The Council has defined a “Plan A”, which the county will follow if voters approve that fee.

That plan would enable the county’s solid waste utility to continue funding and operating facilities on San Juan, Lopez and Orcas islands. It would also allocate between $1 million to $3 million toward either rebuilding the current solid waste facility on San Juan Island or constructing a new facility on county-owned property adjacent to the current site.

Plan “A” would also allot $22,000 toward providing the support of outer island solid waste disposal that, until this year, had been provided for Shaw and Blakely Islands.

“Plan B” will be implemented if voters reject the solid waste charge.

That plan calls for closing the three county solid waste facilities. Route (or “roadside”) collection would then be the only assured collection system. Litter, noxious weeds, beach clean ups, household hazardous waste round-ups and other programs would be funded through the excise tax on the certified trash hauler.

Under Plan “B”, the council said the county’s decommissioned solid waste facilities would be available for lease to a qualified private operator who desires to operate a drop-off facility.

The Council’s resolution offers more details on the two plans, and charts showing the estimated cost of each.