District to city: Give back $$

The solid waste district wants its money back.

To be precise, it wants the City of Portland to repay $52,649.83 in unused grant funds intended to subsidize the city’s curbside recycling program that were never used.

It turns out that for the past six years, the subsidy from an annual $10,000 Jay County Solid Waste District grant has not been needed.

In fact, based upon figures put together by Jay County Commissioner Chuck Huffman, the curbside recycling program has not only been self-sufficient — thanks to a $4.25 per month per household fee — it has made a profit.

“In each of these years (2013-2018), you can see there was a surplus,” Huffman told the waste district board at its meeting Monday afternoon.

In 2013, the city’s recycling fund began the year with a balance of $16,726.49 and ended the year with a balance of $19,406.32. That means it ended up with $2,649.83 more in its coffers than it started the year with, thanks to a $10,000 grant.

In 2014 and subsequent years, the fund continued to make money.

The fund began 2014 with $19,406.32 and ended the year with $38,893.80. That translated into an excess balance of $19,487.48, $10,000 of which was from the solid waste district grant.

The fund began 2015 with $38,993.80 and ended the year with $58,420.21. That translated into an excess balance (receipts over expenses) of $19,526.41, $10,000 of which was from the solid waste district grant.

The fund began 2016 with $58,420.21 and ended the year with $79,938.37. That translated into an excess balance (receipts over expenses) of $21,518.16, $10,000 of which was from the solid waste district grant.

The fund began 2017 with $79,938.37 and ended the year with $94,098.85. That translated into an excess balance (receipts over expenses) of $14,160.48, $10,000 of which was from the solid waste district grant.

The fund began this year with $94,098.85 and as of Oct. 31 totaled $107,000. 

Of that $107,000, Huffman’s numbers indicate that $52,649.83 is due to grants from the waste district.

“The grant was not needed,” said Huffman. “It’s our fiduciary responsibility … to ask for that money to be repaid.”

On a unanimous vote, the waste district board did just that, though not without some objection from Portland officials.

“I don’t feel this is fair, guys,” said Portland City Councilman and waste district board member Bill Gibson. “How do we know exactly what’s what?”

But Huffman and fellow commissioner Barry Hudson were firm. “The difference is, it’s grant money,” said Hudson. “It wasn’t used. It needs to be given back.”

Portland Mayor Randy Geesaman, who chairs the waste district board, said the matter will be referred to the city council at its next meeting.

“It’s on the city council agenda for Monday,” said Geesaman. “We will discuss it with the city council. … We want to get some clarification from the State Board of Accounts.”

The waste district board decided earlier this year to end its $10,000 a year support for the Portland curbside recycling program, which led in turn to the city’s board of works decision to eliminate the program. 

Geesaman later acknowledged that the program was not only self-sufficient but generated a surplus.

The board was also unanimous in opting to buy its way out of a contract with Waste Management to service the recycling trailers at various sites of the county in order to get a better deal from BestWay.

Based upon figures put together by waste district director Samantha Rhodehamel, a buyout of the Waste Management contract will cost about $22,000, but a new contract with BestWay will save more than $36,000 per year.

In other business, the board:

•Set a cap on individual recycling educational grants at $500, allotting a total of $5,000 for the year.

•Agreed to conduct employee evaluations as specified in the board’s personnel policy.

•Noted that burned out Christmas decoration lights will be accepted for disposal at the waste district’s office at road 400 South and Indiana 67 and at the Jay County Chamber of Commerce office in Portland. Dunkirk Mayor Gene Ritter said he would explore establishing a Christmas light disposal site at Dunkirk City Hall.