Introduction of an Ordinance Amending the Pasco County Code of Ordinances Chapter 90, Article ll, Solid Waste Collection and Disposal, Section 90-48 – Rates for Collection Service – No Funding Required

28:57Now we're going back to uh we close public comment. Um things were even looked into. We'll go back to R forty nine and then we'll do R forty eight after R forty nine.

29:14Welcome.

29:16Good morning, Mr. Chairman, members of the board, Justin Messler, Solid Waste Director. R 49 is an introduction of an ordinance amending the Pasco County Code of Ordinances, Chapter 90, Article 2, Solid Waste Collection and Disposal, Section 90-48, Race for Collection Service. There's no funding required. Next slide, please. So currently in Pasco County, rates for commercial collection service are governed by the county. And the way that that works is there's a fixed cap based on the size of the dumpster and the frequency that it pulled. The last time that this race ceiling

29:46was revised was in tablet and nine. And so over the past 12 years, we've seen that the cost for commercial and residential haulers 7 continues to grow. And when you look at the relevant price indices, we've seen over a 20% jump since the commercial rate canap was last revisited in 2009. So at this point in order to ensure the viability of commercial waste collection in Pasco County, we've got to look at revising the Solid Waste Ordinance. Next slide please. So the proposed ordinance

30:17introduction that we're presenting here would remove the commercial rate ceiling for waste collection. And this is really standard practice throughout the state. Majority of Florida counties either have commercial waste collection that's competitively bid through a franchise system, or it acts as an open market. And I will point out that a number of counties who practice a franchise system. We do have an open market for commercial waste collection. So counties like Hillsboro, Polk, Marion, Penellas all essentially operate

30:47under the system that we're proposing to introduce uh into the ordinance today. Um

30:52Mr. Chairman M I'm gonna hate to interrupt, I just have a question for you. Um I'm just curious, since it's an open market um Why is the county even involved in on the rates on the rate structure? If we're talking about a free market, an open market, on a commercial side, the retail s you know the commercial side of things, why are we even involved?

31:15That's what we're looking at the change here, while we need to get out of that, sorry.

31:18Yeah. That well I guess that was just a question, why are we though? Why have we been and why are we, you think?

31:23I think historically when the county was smaller, um there were less haulers in there.

31:26Yeah.

31:27Um it

31:27was

31:27a different situation you didn't have the type of competition that we see now.

31:30Yeah. Yeah, I mean free markets, free markets.

31:34Mr. Chairman Mariano is H Hernando County is also open market.

31:40Okay. Thank you. Didn't want to just try to figure out why we how we even got there.

31:46So this would sort of kind of move us up to date with the people that are around us, the communities that are around us. This would not do anything to impact the residential ranks or the residential level of service. Next slide, please.

32:02So with that, the department recommends accept the proposed amendment to the Pasco County Code Ordinances, Chapter 90, Article 2, entitled Solid Waste Collection and Disposal, Section 904, Race for Collection Services, Direct the Solid Waste Department to advertise the proposed revisions for public hearing before the Board of County Commissioners on October 26, 2021 at the West Pasco Government Center Board.

32:24Mr. Chairman Mariano? Yeah, just real quick again. I'm I'm supportive, but I want to go back and show me where we're being actually 100% pulled out of this process.

32:33So the ordinance is actually and I can grab the text real quick, it's actually amended to strike through the section that regulates the commercial.

32:41Okay, so we're just doing a strike through. Yes. Okay, move for approval.

32:44Second. If I motion a second. All those in favor say aye. Aye. All opposed like sigh. Motion passed 5-0. Thank you, Justin. Now we move forward to R 48.