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Home My WebLink AboutCOUNCIL - AGENDA ITEM - 06/04/2013 - FIRST READING OF ORDINANCE NO. 077, 2013 APPROPRIADATE: June 4, 2013 STAFF: Susie Gordon AGENDA ITEM SUMMARY FORT COLLINS CITY COUNCIL 14 SUBJECT First Reading of Ordinance No. 077, 2013 Appropriating Prior Year Reserves in the General Fund for Waste Reduction and Diversion Projects Approved by the Waste Innovation Program. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY This Ordinance shifts $135,560 that has accumulated in the Waste Innovation Program’s reserve account into the City’s General Fund account so that the money can be used for the purposes intended. Revenues are paid into the Waste Innovation Program by City departments that “self haul” trash from municipal operations for disposal in the Larimer County Landfill. The fund is designated to pay for projects that enhance these same departments’ ability to divert more waste away from the landfill. Unspent funds from several previous years had been moved into a “reserve” account; this action moves the funds back into the General Fund. BACKGROUND / DISCUSSION The City Manager created a fund in 2010 to pay for projects that improve our organizational ability to divert waste generated by municipal activities from being disposed in the Larimer County landfill. Discarded material and trash that City crews self-haul to the landfill is charged only 28 cents/cubic yard by Larimer County Solid Waste Department, which is passed through in payment to the state for landfill management/monitoring programs. The balance of the regular “tipping fee” at the landfill, $5.27 per cubic yard, is placed in a Waste Innovation Program (WIP) fund. These WIP revenues are received from 15 City departments that self-haul various types of waste to the landfill in truckloads. (It doesn’t include trash collected from City office buildings and facilities by our contracted trash hauler.) Funds Collected Funds Spent 2010 - $79,960 $15,510 2011 - $101,864 $13,860 2012 - $136,114 $19,248 2013 – TBD $34,778 plus additional commitments of $152,986 $52,000 contributed to Integrated Recycling Facility Waste Innovation Program (WIP) funds are used to administer grants that allow City departments to initiate new waste diversion/recycling projects, with special attention to departments that contribute most heavily to the fund (i.e. amount of waste they self-haul to the landfill). By design, the WIP should be a steadily decreasing fund as less waste is taken to the landfill for disposal as a result of operational improvements. An interdepartmental group of employees participates in awarding funds when requests are received from departments. Members of this group also act as liaisons for communicating to crews about the need to reduce the City’s use of the landfill, helping to actively incorporate waste reduction and recycling strategies as Best Management Practices in City operations, and to solicit ideas for using WIP funds. Past projects funded to date include: • Forestry Division has used funds on equipment rental to grind large-diameter tree trunks and stumps; • Purchase of solar-powered trash/recycling bin containers for use in public areas; • 30 sets of twinned recycling/trash bins for offices and shops; • Data collection activities for specific sources of waste; and, • Partial funding to help finance construction of a publicly accessible Integrated Recycling Facility, approved in the 2013/2014 BFO process. June 4, 2013 -2- ITEM 14 Upcoming Approved projects: • Water Utilities’ Stormwater Division will buy equipment to create a soils recovery facility. The new screening capability that Stormwater will use on excavated soils will enable crews to process waste materials into a variety of soil and structural fill products. This project is expected to reduce Utilities’ landfill usage from an annual average of about 11,000 cubic yards per year down to as little as 5,000 cubic yards. FINANCIAL / ECONOMIC IMPACTS The action will make $135,560 in funding available for City organization waste reduction projects that have been submitted to and approved for funding via the Waste Innovation Program internal competitive process in 2013. ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS The WIP funds are intended to help City departments reduce their trash sent to the landfill. One major project approved for 2013 is Water Utilities’ Stormwater Division plans to buy equipment to create a soils recovery facility. The new screening capability that Stormwater will use on excavated soils will enable crews to process waste materials into a variety of soil and structural fill products. This project is expected to reduce Utilities’ landfill usage from an annual average of about 11,000 cubic yards per year down to as little as 5,000 cubic yards. STAFF RECOMMENDATION Staff recommends adoption of the Ordinance on First Reading. ORDINANCE NO. 077, 2013 OF THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF FORT COLLINS APPROPRIATING PRIOR YEAR RESERVES IN THE GENERAL FUND FOR WASTE REDUCTION AND DIVERSION PROJECTS APPROVED BY THE WASTE INNOVATION PROGRAM WHEREAS, in 2010, the City created the Waste Innovation Program (the “WIP”) fund, where revenues collected for the program are held in a reserve account in the General Fund to pay for projects that improve the City's ability to divert waste from municipal activities from being disposed of in the Larimer County Landfill; and WHEREAS, the funds are used to administer grants that allow City departments to initiate new waste diversion and recycling projects with emphasis on departments that have larger quantities of waste that is self-hauled to the Larimer County Landfill; and WHEREAS, an interdepartmental group of employees participate as liaisons for incorporating waste reduction into City practices, promoting recycling strategies, and awarding WIP funds when requests are received from participating City departments; and WHEREAS, the group has approved one major project for 2013 by the Water Utilities Stormwater Division (“Utilities”) including the processing of waste materials into a variety of soil and structural fill products; and WHEREAS, the project will reduce Utilities’ landfill usage from about 11,000 cubic yards per year down to approximately 5,000 cubic yards per year; and WHEREAS, other waste reduction and diversion projects are ready for review for possible WIP funding; and WHEREAS, Article V, Section 9, of the City Charter permits the City Council to appropriate by ordinance at any time during the fiscal year such funds for expenditure as may be available from reserves accumulated in prior years, notwithstanding that such reserves were not previously appropriated. NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT ORDAINED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF FORT COLLINS that there is hereby appropriated for expenditure from prior year reserves in the General Fund the sum of ONE HUNDRED THIRTY FIVE THOUSAND FIVE HUNDRED SIXTY DOLLARS ($135,560) for waste reduction and diversion projects approved by the Waste Innovation Program. Introduced, considered favorably on first reading, and ordered published this 4th day of June, A.D. 2013, and to be presented for final passage on the 18th day of June, A.D. 2013. _________________________________ Mayor ATTEST: _____________________________ City Clerk Passed and adopted on final reading on the 18th day of June, A.D. 2013. _________________________________ Mayor ATTEST: _____________________________ City Clerk