July 23, 2014 at 2:10 p.m.
District budget pain ahead
Jay County Solid Waste District
On the same night they were told to anticipate tough decisions for the 2011 budget, members of the county's solid waste district were also told to expect increased expenses for this year.
District director Kay Hayes warned members of the Jay County Solid Waste District Monday her preliminary estimates show income for 2011 falling $100,000 short of projected expenses.
Hayes' report kicked off a discussion among members about possible cost-saving measures, and one suggestion triggered a strong reaction from two representatives from the city of Portland.
Also Monday, a representative from BestWay Disposal and Recycling discussed an impending price increase for the hauling of recycling containers from area schools, prompting a member of the board to say, "You may find you've priced yourself out of our market."
BestWay "inherited" that contract in a switch with former hauler Rumpke, and the prices have not increased since that switch in October.
Among the possibilities for cuts from the 2011 budget by Hayes were small reductions in supplies, reducing the frequency of drop-off recycling trailers, and the elimination of grants to Portland to subsidize its curbside recycling program ($12,000) and the Jay County Water and Soil Conservation District ($10,000).
Portland Mayor Bruce Hosier and city council member Bill Gibson, both members of the district board, took offense to talk of cutting out the $12,000 subsidy.
"We think it's a solid expenditure for the waste district," said Hosier. "I think we have to prioritize ... the recycling program falls under the objective of the solid waste district."
Gibson added: "The people in the city (of Portland) are the only ones paying ... for recycling."
City water customers have a $3 per-month charge added to water bills to pay for recycling services. There is a surplus in that recycling fund, but members of the district agreed in 2009 to subsidize the program because the annual contract amount exceeded the income brought in by the $3 per month charge.
Hosier said that the latest figures show that approximately 80 percent of Portland household participate in the curbside recycling program.
Jim Zimmerman, a board member and county commissioner, said that while residents in unincorporated areas don't pay a fee, they do have expenses involved in driving to the district's drop-off recycling locations.
Hayes said she was not advocating cutting the grant to Portland, simply looking for ways to trim a 2011 budget that currently would spend about $250,000 while taking in about $150,000 in tipping fee income from trash deposited in the Jay County Landfill.
"I'm open to all kinds of suggestions," Hayes said.
Board members Milo Miller Jr., Faron Parr, Zimmerman, Orr, Hosier and Gibson asked Hayes to prepare a budget and present it for consideration during the district's June meeting.
Among the possible cuts only briefly discussed Monday was personnel. District personnel include Hayes, administrative assistant Jill Hall and part-time helper Sandy Doyle.
The discussion about the proposed increase in school recycling was kicked off by BestWay sales representative Mike Cooper, who said that a rise in fuel costs and in the cost of sorting materials at BestWay-owned East Central Recycling in Muncie make an increase in the amount charged to the district imperative.
"We can't run an operation ... where we're losing money on every run," said Cooper, a former employee of Rumpke who was involved in the original school hauling contract with the district.
"We have already discounted to be as low as we can be," Cooper added.
Noting that the East Central Recycling facility allows the commingling of recycling and trash, creating higher costs for manual sorting, Orr said the district appears to be subsidizing an area of BestWay's business it isn't using.
"You're charging more to us to facilitate the recycling" process, Orr said.
The board will consider a proposed contract during its June meeting.
In other business, members of the board:
•Approved claims totaling $15,403.26, leaving the district with a checking account balance of $20,135.20 and an investment account of $82,608.29. With income on the district's $1.25 per ton fee coming in at $15,600, the district made just under $200.
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District director Kay Hayes warned members of the Jay County Solid Waste District Monday her preliminary estimates show income for 2011 falling $100,000 short of projected expenses.
Hayes' report kicked off a discussion among members about possible cost-saving measures, and one suggestion triggered a strong reaction from two representatives from the city of Portland.
Also Monday, a representative from BestWay Disposal and Recycling discussed an impending price increase for the hauling of recycling containers from area schools, prompting a member of the board to say, "You may find you've priced yourself out of our market."
BestWay "inherited" that contract in a switch with former hauler Rumpke, and the prices have not increased since that switch in October.
Among the possibilities for cuts from the 2011 budget by Hayes were small reductions in supplies, reducing the frequency of drop-off recycling trailers, and the elimination of grants to Portland to subsidize its curbside recycling program ($12,000) and the Jay County Water and Soil Conservation District ($10,000).
Portland Mayor Bruce Hosier and city council member Bill Gibson, both members of the district board, took offense to talk of cutting out the $12,000 subsidy.
"We think it's a solid expenditure for the waste district," said Hosier. "I think we have to prioritize ... the recycling program falls under the objective of the solid waste district."
Gibson added: "The people in the city (of Portland) are the only ones paying ... for recycling."
City water customers have a $3 per-month charge added to water bills to pay for recycling services. There is a surplus in that recycling fund, but members of the district agreed in 2009 to subsidize the program because the annual contract amount exceeded the income brought in by the $3 per month charge.
Hosier said that the latest figures show that approximately 80 percent of Portland household participate in the curbside recycling program.
Jim Zimmerman, a board member and county commissioner, said that while residents in unincorporated areas don't pay a fee, they do have expenses involved in driving to the district's drop-off recycling locations.
Hayes said she was not advocating cutting the grant to Portland, simply looking for ways to trim a 2011 budget that currently would spend about $250,000 while taking in about $150,000 in tipping fee income from trash deposited in the Jay County Landfill.
"I'm open to all kinds of suggestions," Hayes said.
Board members Milo Miller Jr., Faron Parr, Zimmerman, Orr, Hosier and Gibson asked Hayes to prepare a budget and present it for consideration during the district's June meeting.
Among the possible cuts only briefly discussed Monday was personnel. District personnel include Hayes, administrative assistant Jill Hall and part-time helper Sandy Doyle.
The discussion about the proposed increase in school recycling was kicked off by BestWay sales representative Mike Cooper, who said that a rise in fuel costs and in the cost of sorting materials at BestWay-owned East Central Recycling in Muncie make an increase in the amount charged to the district imperative.
"We can't run an operation ... where we're losing money on every run," said Cooper, a former employee of Rumpke who was involved in the original school hauling contract with the district.
"We have already discounted to be as low as we can be," Cooper added.
Noting that the East Central Recycling facility allows the commingling of recycling and trash, creating higher costs for manual sorting, Orr said the district appears to be subsidizing an area of BestWay's business it isn't using.
"You're charging more to us to facilitate the recycling" process, Orr said.
The board will consider a proposed contract during its June meeting.
In other business, members of the board:
•Approved claims totaling $15,403.26, leaving the district with a checking account balance of $20,135.20 and an investment account of $82,608.29. With income on the district's $1.25 per ton fee coming in at $15,600, the district made just under $200.
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