JCSWD will help, if needed

If Portland needs financial assistance for its curbside recycling program, the Jay County Solid Waste District is willing to chip in. Its board members just want to wait until the time comes to make that decision.
The JCSWD board of directors agreed at their meeting Monday to allocate $15,000 in their 2014 budget for Portland’s program. But they’ll first give the city the same $10,000 they have in recent years while taking a wait-and-see approach on the additional $5,000.
The waste district had approved at its June meeting to give $15,000 to Portland for the recycling program as part of a tentative budget proposal. Portland Mayor Randy Geesaman, who is also a JCSWD board member, originally asked for additional assistance from the waste district in April.
He presented the city’s recycling budget numbers to the waste district board Monday, showing Portland lost nearly $14,000 on its recycling program during 2012. It is currently down $5,863.90 for 2013, but a recent increase in the city’s recycling fee is expected to make up that difference.
The change, which took effect for the July billing cycle, bumped the fee to $4.25 per month from the previous $3.
BestWay Recycling currently charges the city $3.98 per “unit.”
“I don’t know if it’s this board’s place … to add to your budget, your reserve,” said board member Jim Zimmerman, who is also a Jay County Commissioner. “If it increases next year, I think we can increase what we’re doing next year.”
The board discussed keeping its budget number at $10,000 for the city of Portland. But it then acted on a suggestion from member Faron Parr, also a Jay County Commissioner, to allocate $15,000 just in case the additional money was needed. The group, which also includes commissioner Milo Miller, Jr., Dunkirk Mayor Dan Watson, Portland City Councilman Bill Gibson and Jay County Councilwoman Jeannie Houchins approved the motion unanimously.
Geesaman said he understands Zimmerman’s stance and that he just wants to keep the Portland’s recycling fund in the black.
“With the $10,000 we’re getting, we should be able to stay in the black, at least until the next contract,” he said.
Portland’s contract with BestWay runs through March 31, 2015.
With the decision on the recycling numbers, the board unanimously approved its proposed budget of $210,415 for 2014.
That budget is down slightly from $212,775 for this year.
Board members also agreed both Portland and the JCSWD need to do a better job of promoting the programs, possibly on a quarterly basis.
“The Wednesday evening I was at the solid waste booth at the fair, I think almost every question I had was from a Portland resident,” Houchins said. “There is a lot of interest in it.”
“We need to push it harder than we have,” Gibson added.
Gibson also expressed concerns about old tires being discarded along city streets and county roads.
He wondered aloud if there was something the waste district could do to help alleviate the problem.
The group discussed possible solutions, noting that tires can be disposed of at the annual Tox-A-Way Day set for Sept. 14 at East Jay Middle School.
Carter Leonhard, a member of the district’s citizen’s advisory committee, brought up the possibility have having trailers more frequently for collection of old tires, and the board said it would discuss that idea in the future.
Gibson reminded residents that tires are not collected with regular trash.
“We ought to have someplace to get rid of those,” he added.
In other business, the board:
•Reviewed the district’s financial report, which shows a current balance of $236,153.14.
•Approved a request from Cindy Denney, treasurer of Jay County Special Olympics, for a hole sponsorship for the group’s upcoming golf outing. The board voted unanimously to give $100 for the sponsorship.
•Reviewed the JCSWD educator report from Bettie Jacobs, who was not present at the meeting.
The report recapped participation in parades in Dunkirk and Pennville as well as a program at Jay Community Center’s day camp.[[In-content Ad]]