Waste authority pays half of disputed fee

Hemmingsen gets board’s chairman seat in 9-1 vote

 A slow-moving meeting prompted the Del Norte Solid Waste Authority board to table half its agenda Tuesday.

A half-hour was spent nitpicking the consent agenda before the  board discussed the closed landfill and what to do about a higher-than-expected fee the state is charging the authority.

The board approved the payment of a half-installment of the $52,697 annual permit fee assessed by the State Water Resources Control Board (SWRCB) in order to avoid penalties, and gave direction for staff to continue to contest the landfill’s rating that comes with higher fees.

The SWRCB instituted permit fees for landfills statewide for the first time in 2010 and categorized the closed Crescent City landfill as 1A threat/complexity — the worst of the worst. The authority paid the $38,719 fee to avoid penalties last year, but it promptly appealed the rating. The state board denied the authority’s appeal in December, and the fee associated with a 1A rating increased almost $14,000 for this year.

In an October letter to the SWRCB, the authority pointed out that the landfill (the only closed landfill listed as 1A) “pays the same fee as many open landfills that are 589 percent to 8,240 percent greater in volume than the Crescent City Landfill.”

Board member and county Supervisor Martha McClure said the next step is to request an audience with the state water board and “discuss our story, because we are a closed landfill.”

The lengthy approval of the consent agenda included a dispute over whether attorneys Bob Black and Martha Rice have a conflict of interest in representing both the city and the authority. The issue arose when discussing a report noting Rice would receive a scheduled 5 percent raise, bringing her rate to $182 per hour. Black waived part of his raise and will get paid $199 per hour, similar to his arrangement with the city.

Rice said it is not in her or Black’s interest to remain in a position with even an appearance of a conflict of interest, and they have looked into alternate counsels should a concern arise.

After the consent agenda was approved, board member and Supervisor Michael Sullivan requested that the board immediately elect a new chairman instead of  waiting until the end as scheduled.  Board member and Supervisor Gerry Hemmingsen was voted in as chairman, 9-1, with previous board chair and Mayor Kathryn Murray dissenting. Hemmingsen and Murray switched seats. Board member and Councilman Richard Enea was elected vice chair at the last meeting.

After landfill items, an overview of the contract with Recology Del Norte, and the approval of penalties for late payments for customers with a transfer station charge account, Hemmingsen asked what items could be saved for the next meeting. Several items were tabled, including discussion of an authority report on how customer rates might be reduced, something the board requested at the last meeting.

After slimming down the agenda, the board quickly approved two new programs, one that will expand the drop-off points for “sharps” (needles), which can be hazardous to Hambro Group employees if not properly disposed. The other program is to increase the recycling of carpet.

In 2010, the state passed a law that requires carpet manufacturers to exercise product stewardship and make sure their products are recycled. The law created a 5-cent-per-yard tax to generate revenue for the program.  Del Norte County is one of six rural counties serving as a pilot area to see how the program can be best implemented in a rural area.

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