District changes coming

Big changes in leadership, budget and source of income are coming for a local organization charged with reducing waste and promoting recycling.

In a lead-up to work next month on the 2011 budget, members of the Jay County Solid Waste District board of directors agreed to consider big budget cuts and voted to approve a dramatic increase in a district tipping fee. That fee, which is collected by the Jay County Landfill and paid to the district on a per-ton basis, is currently $1.25 per ton. The new amount beginning next month will be $1.75 per ton.

The big surprise at Monday's meeting came from district executive director Kay Hayes, who announced she would be resigning sometime in the fall. Hayes, who became emotional after telling board members she would be leaving, has been with the district since its inception in 2002.

She said she plans to go back to school and move nearer to family in Georgia.

Part of the budget cuts recommended earlier in the meeting by Hayes was to eliminate one of two full-time employees for the district, and she urged the board to consider naming Jill Hall, administra-tive/financial assistant for the district, as the director.

Although board members Faron Parr, Jim Zimmerman, Milo Miller Jr., Bill Gibson and Dan Orr made no commitments Monday, all had praise for the work of Hall and Hayes.

The board, which will have its first hearing of the 2011 budget July 19, listened as Hayes went through the details of three budget options during Monday's meeting. For more than a year, district expenses have exceeded income.

Members favored Hayes' "option A," with expenditures of about $168,000 - down about $100,000 from the current year budget.

The big savings would come from eliminating one of the two full-time employees. Other savings would come from selling the district's pick-up truck and having the director use a personal vehicle; trimming expenses for hauling recycled materials from area schools and the district's Saturday drop-off locations; reducing the fee paid to not-for-profit groups staffing the Saturday trailers to $100, down from $150; and eliminating grants to the Jay County Soil and Water Conservation District ($10,000) and the city of Portland to subsidize its curbside recycling program ($12,000).

Orr, a former science teacher at Jay County High School where he was sponsor of the Earthwatch club, said he believes that recycling is and should be the core mission of the district.

"Going through the process of recycling has a tremendous educational value for the youth of the community," said Orr, who said he didn't feel that reducing the amount paid to not-for-profits would keep local residents from recycling.

The subject of the district tipping fee, which had been discussed at length during the first half of this year as budget woes mounted, didn't take long to decide.

Miller, the district board president, opened discussion by posing the question whether the district should increase the tipping fee to $1.75 in an attempt to give a boost to income.

In June, a representative from landfill owner/operator Waste Management of Indiana expressed concerns that any increase in the fee could cause the local landfill to lose a competitive edge and possibly experience a decrease in volume.

The tipping fee was $1.50 per ton for several years after the opening of the district, but was lowered to $1.25 at the request of Waste Management several years ago.

In other business Monday, board members:

•Approved claims totaling $22,565, leaving the district with a checking account balance of $7,571.21 and a total of $72,618.81 in and investment account. The board will likely have to approve a withdrawal from the investment account in July.

•Learned that district income for May was $14,055, based on 11,357.60 tons of trash deposited at the landfill during the month.[[In-content Ad]]