It doesn't appear likely that the commissioners who comprise the Montmorency-Oscoda-Alpena Solid Waste Authority are willing to raise the tipping fee at the landfill in Atlanta to subsidize and regain control of the area's recycling program. The board just approved a rate increase of $1, which began on March 1, and fears another charge still wouldn't be enough to pay for the program.
The price hike could generate an estimated $113,000-$140,000 in added revenue, but the program figures to cost $120,000 to fund for 2010, on what Alpena County Commissioner called a "bare bones" operation.
Board President Mike Hunt, a commissioner from Oscoda County, said implementing another price increase would definitely help, but he thinks it would make things hard on the haulers and the people.
"The difficult thing is we just raised the tipping fees and we need that money to balance our budget," Hunt said. "We know that it could possibly save recycling, but that would be back to back price increases and that would be hard to justify to a lot of people."
Alpena Township Supervisor Marie Twite and Northeast Council of Governments Executive Director Diane Rekowski debated with the board about how additional saving in the program could be found. Rekowski said savings could be made because of a joint effort between NEMCOG and local judges that would allow criminals to work at the transfer station. Judges Mike Mack and Theodore Johnson have pledged support and would offer court-ordered work for some criminals instead of jail. Rekowski said there will be helpers at the transfer station as soon as Monday.
"We could have as many as 8-10 people on a regular basis and we would have one supervisor who would oversee them," Rekowski said. "We would have to appoint a person who is out there already to be the supervisor, but NEMCOG would pick up their wages.
Currently the transfer station is getting by with the help it has, but if more townships from Montmorency County join the program more workers will be needed.
Board members said they hope financial support would come from more of Montmorency's townships, but many of them have been slow to act. Alpena Commissioner Lyle VanWormer said having the judges support helps, but first there must be more participation from Montmorency.
"What really hurts is we don't have Montmorency," VanWormer said. "We have Oscoda and Alpena, but not having Montmorency really hurts us from breaking even. I don't really see us being able to do this without them. This is a huge door that has just been opened to us to have the judges involved, becasue they know this could help the judicial sysyem as well. If they said they will sentence people to work out there, they will."
Every year the three counties receive a payment of $30,000 from the landfill. Hunt said that money could have been used toward recycling, but understands that because of revenue shortages, the counties need it for their own general funds.
"I am against, and have always been against, paying that money," Hunt said. "In Oscoda we haven't used that money in our budget, but I know the others have because of how badly it is needed."
Oscoda representative Joe Stone said another plan needs to being sought because a vote to raise the fees is unlikely to pass. He said the counties could implement a surcharge per household, or request a millage, but neither idea was greeted with much enthusiasm from the rest of the board.
"I don't think that there is enough support on the board to to increase the tipping fees," Stone said. "So I think we have to keep looking for another solution."
VanWormer agreed.
"I think we should keep working with the system we have now," VanWormer said. We can tweek it here and there if need be."
Steve Schulwitz can be reached via e-mail at sschulwitz@thealpenanews.com or by phone at 358-5689.