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 CALL TO ORDER: The Logan County Joint Solid Waste Agency
board met on Wednesday, May 20, 2015 in the Blue Room of the Logan
County Safety Complex. Chairman James Struebing, New Holland, called
the meeting to order at 7:00 PM with the following members present:
Pat O' Neill - Logan County Board; Andy Anderson - Logan County
Board Alternate; Matt Fights - Elkhart; John Utterback - Mt.
Pulaski; Ivan Rademaker - Emden; Doris Last - Hartsburg and Agency
Coordinator Michele Rohlfs; a quorum was present. Ernie Shaw was
introduced as the new Elkhart Alternate. Mandy Cordray, Hartsburg
Alternate, arrived after roll call.
APPROVAL OF MARCH I APRIL 2015 MINUTES: There were no
comments or questions regarding the March or April 2015 minutes and
Mr. Ivan Rademaker motioned to accept the minutes for both months
with Mr. John Utterback providing the second; all present approved
and the motion carried.
PAYMENT OF BILLS: Mr. Pat O'Neill commented that the fuel
expenses for April 2015 were the lowest he'd seen. Ms. Rohlfs
responded the agency is still without its regular driver who is
recovering from surgery and has utilized Area Disposal to collect
the recycling route under a temporary contract due to issues finding
a substitute driver. Mr. Pat O' Neill motioned to pay the bills,
which was seconded by Mr. John Utterback; all present approved and
the motion carried.
COMMITTEE REPORTS
COORDINATOR'S REPORT: Ms. Rohlfs reported that due to a change
in the scheduling of the Logan County Fair, the August glass
recycling date has been moved to August l51h, which will be the
third Saturday of the month instead of the second.
OLD BUSINESS
DRIVER/ROUTE STATUS : The Agency' s regular driver, Mr. George
Fishburn, continues on extended medical leave with an anticipated
return late summer/early fall. Mr. Todd Godbey, substitute driver,
let his COL license expire after last driving in the fall of 2014.
The Agency has paid for Mr. Godbey to take the COL test; Mr. Godbey
has obtained a restricted CDL license but failed the airbrake test
three times. Mr. Godbey then had to wait 30 days to re-test. Mr.
Bill Melton has been subbing as the Agency's driver when available
with Mr. Godbey operating the winch and blade. Upon passing the air
brake and driving test, Mr. Godbey will again be driving and
operating the winch/blade with Ms. Rohlfs assisting. In the interim,
the Agency has to expend additional funds for a licensed driver and
assistant (Godbey) and for Area Disposal to collect the recycling
route when a licensed driver has not been available.
TIRE COLLECTION/GOVERNMENTAL UNITS: IL-EPA reports the
agency's request has been forwarded to the IL-EPA Director for
signature. Ms. Rohlfs had hoped the tire collection would be held
before the highway department and townships started summer roadwork.
Mrs. Rohlfs contacted Mr. Bret Aukamp, Logan County Highway
Department Superintendent, and asked him to inform townships to
proceed with the collection of tires from roadways as it is
anticipated the collection will be held at some point in the future.
HAULER LICENSE APPLICATIONS: Completed applications and
payment have been received from PDC/Area Disposal and Advanced
Disposal. The third application sent to Murrell Disposal, Macon
County, has not yet been received; Murrell Disposal is not currently
providing services within Logan County.
UNANNOUNCED OLD BUSINESS: Approximately 5,000 pounds of glass
collected at the Logan County Community Health Fair in March and
currently there is about 8,000 pounds of glass on the trailer from
May's collection. Ms. Rohlfs hopes to dump the trailer in the next
day or two. The next collection will be Saturday, June l3th.
NEW BUSINESS
LOGAN COUNTY JOINT SOLID WASTE AGENCY RESOLUTION - 2017 RENEWAL
DATE: The municipal agreement governing the Agency has been in
place for 18 years with another two years remaining at which time
either the agreement will need to be modified or redone. Earlier
this week, Chairman Struebing and Ms. Rohlfs met with Mr. Jonathan
Wright, Logan County State's Attorney, to obtain his opinion
regarding the agency's ability to proceed with a referendum based on
state statutes. Mr. Wright will contact Ms. Rohlfs and/or Chairman
Struebing by the end of July with his findings. Ms. Rohlfs has also
contacted PDC/Area Disposal and Advanced Disposal to inquire if
either would be interested in submitting recycling proposals and/or
options to the Agency.
Chairman Struebing notes the Agency has a system that works, but
more money is needed to fund the operational side of the system; as
revenues from materials are almost non-existent due to a weak
market. Since January 2015, the agency has paid for processing
co-mingled materials because paper rebates have been insufficient to
cover those costs.
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A newer and larger truck is desperately needed and the
current assessment of $4/per capita is insufficient to allow for
the purchase of a truck.
The cost of transporting and processing of recyclable materials
continues to increase annually in direct correlation to increases in
the amount of materials collected.
In 2010, Area Disposal began charging Lincoln customers
$5.00/month for what had been free curbside recycling. Participation
in Area's curbside recycling dropped dramatically as the amount of
materials increased at the two 30 yard bins triggering an increased
expense for the Agency since the bins needed to be dumped more
frequently.
Decreasing the number of recycling pickup sites has also been
proposed, but Ms. Rohlfs stated that would cause other sites to fill
up more quickly.
Ms. Rohlfs reports that a 2014 IL-EPA report estimates the
state's current landfill capacity will be reached within 21 years;
every bit of recyclable material that can be kept out of landfills
will increase that timeframe.
Chairman Struebing notes that either the Agency charges more for
recycling; or if the Agency is disbanded, local waste haulers would
see an increase in the amount of waste being taken to landfills and
will pass on that cost onto the consumer. Citizens will be paying
more either way - increased funding for recycling or increased
garbage bills. Members need to let their boards know that more money
will be needed; not to make a profit, just to cover expenses.
It was also noted that no one from the City of Lincoln attends
Agency meetings. Ms. Rohlfs stated that she has spoken to the
current representative who said she has a conflict with the Agency's
meeting date.
Board Meeting minutes and the agenda are mailed to the
representative monthly. Mr. Anderson stated that he would let it be
known that the City of Lincoln needs to have a representative and/or
alternate in attendance.
 Mr. Anderson also suggested that Chairman Struebing and Ms.
Rohlfs meet with Clay Johnson, City of Lincoln Administrator;
Jonathon Wright, Logan County State' s Attorney and David Hepler,
Logan County Board Chairman to discuss the Agency's options and
future as the City of Lincoln and the County are the largest
shareholders in the project.
2016 ASSESSMENTS: 2016 Assessments have been updated and will
be mailed either the last week of May or the first week of June.
First installments are due by July 31st and 2nd installments by
October 31st .
UNANNOUNCED NEW BUSINESS: Ms. Rohlfs has been informed that
Heinzel's Truck Repair is closing.
Mr. Fishburn has talked to R & L Truck and Trailer Repair and
they have agreed to service the agency's truck. Their rate is
$65/hour for labor, which is comparable to Heinzel's.
Mr. Rademaker said that he's heard from several people that the
steps at the Lincoln recycling bins are hard to negotiate for our
older population. He suggested contacting the Logan County Probation
Department. Individuals needed Community Service hours could be
available for a specific period of time during the day to help
seniors/disabled unload their recyclables. Ms. Rohlfs stated that
this was a great idea and she would follow-up.
Ms. Rohlfs notes that if the Agency is without a licensed driver for
the route, PDC/Area Disposal will again have to collect the
recycling route under a temporary contract which will be an added
strain to the budget.
With tonight's business concluded, Mr. O'Neill motioned to
adjourn,which was seconded by Mr. Rademaker; all present approved
and the meeting adjourned at 8:04 PM.
Respectfully submitted,
Dawn Pettus Recording Secretary
[Copied from Logan County website]
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