On Nov. 12 the Metro Council passed two ordinances that improve the way decisions will be made on regional solid waste policy and rates, revising the Solid Waste Advisory Committee and the Solid Waste Rate Review Committee.
The Solid Waste Advisory Committee provides policy advice on solid waste issues to the council, including recycling, system management and regulation. To improve the quality and credibility of policy deliberations, the committee membership was revised. While public and private sector representatives will continue to be included, only local government members will be allowed a vote. Additional outreach to industry members and the general public will provide higher quality input to a range of solid waste policy issues, including resource conservation. Several representatives of the solid waste industry testified that, while they supported the changes in general, they disagreed with the proposal to shift solid waste industry members from voting to non-voting members of the revised Solid Waste Advisory Committee.
The second ordinance repealed the Solid Waste Rate Review Committee entirely and replaced its function with a contracted independent technical expert in rate review to align with best practices for setting municipal utility rates. The rate proposals will be released at the same time as the proposed annual budget, providing better budget information and a coordinated opportunity for public input. A separate “periodic review” process will provide a forum for all interested parties to participate in the consideration of rate criteria and policies.
Metro Council President David Bragdon, the council sponsor of both ordinances, declared that it was a conflict of interest to have industry members advising on rates and policies that would impact their business bottom line. An independent advisory process will better serve the interests of the public. President Bragdon added that he welcomes and encourages the solid waste industry to participate in the periodic policy review cycles, where a variety of viewpoints will strengthen the process.
The Council voted 6 to 1 (Councilor Burkholder voted against) to revise the Solid Waste Advisory Committee and voted unanimously (Councilor Hosticka was absent) to repeal the rate review committee and revise the rate setting procedure for the region, effective February 2010.