Agenda - Council - 10/25/1983 - Laserfiche WebLink

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i I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I 19 township for hosting the facility'. The Legislature should establish com- pensation based upon a percentage of the weight, volume or gross receipts of the waste facility. The mechanism for payment should be determined through negotiation between the waste facility owner and the local unit of government. The mechanism, may include a lump sum payment, annual .payment or other mutually acceptable condition. If an agreement cannot be reac~ed, the Legislature should grant the Council the authority to establish an agreement. The advisory committee could not agree on how to determine the amount of compensation to 'the local unit of government. There are advantages and disadvantages to using weight, volume or gross receipts. Use of weight would require landfills that do not have scales to install them. Using volume can be a problem because much of the waste is compacted further by landfill equipment. However, a charge could be based on the volume of waste received at. the landfill gate. A percentage of gross receipts of a private landfill would compensate the community based on actual operation costs. A percentage of gross receipts from a county-owned landfill may not, but rather reflect cost of the entire waste management system. Another potential problem is that payment for solid waste disposal may be made at a transfer station rather than at a landfill. In that case, the local unit of government would receive nothing. Most other states use weight or volume to finance their compensation funds for landfills. SERVICE BURDENS ON LOCAL GOVERNMENTS A landfill or resource,recovery facility may require a number of public services. These services may include water and sewer service hookups, additional fire and police training and equipment, clean-up along haul routes, installing traffic signals, and maintaining locally owned roads and buffer zone amenities. The need for these services would depend on the size, location and opera- tion of the landfill or resource recovery plant. Services required after the landfill closes could include routine periodic site inspections and gas and groundwater monitoring. The buffer zone is important because it shields the community from many nuisance impacts. Consequently, it is important for the buffer zone to be adequately designed and constructed to meet local concerns and to shield the community from nuisance impacts. Direct costs includes costs of fire protection, water and sewer service, and the buffer zone, including its design and amenities. Fire protection service is usually paid for by households and businesses through property taxes. Large fires or fires beyond the norm should be paid for by the waste facility owner. A contract for adequate fire protection to cover routine and unusual circumstances should be negotiated between the munic- ipality or township and the waste facility owner.