Explanation
1. BACKGROUND
This legislation authorizes the Director of Public Service to establish an additional encumbrance within the General Fund to pay 2020 waste disposal tipping fees for the Division of Refuse Collection and to expend funds to pay the tipping fees. This expense is necessary to safely and contractually dispose of the waste collected by the division in the course of pursuing its mission by providing residential refuse collection services to over 341,000 households weekly and picking up bulk items and illegally dumped items as needed. Due to increased waste collection associated with the COVID-19 pandemic, the City will need additional funds to pay the remaining service invoices for 2020.
The Department of Public Service has determined that $1,100,000.00 should be adequate for this purpose. Actual tonnage is ultimately dependent on variables such as the weather, the actual number of households collected that cannot be specifically calculated at this time, and the unknown amount of bulk and illegally dumped items. If necessary, additional legislation will be submitted to increase funds at a later date or any unused funds will be returned to the General Fund.
SWACO tipping fee rates are determined by SWACO's established rate setting process. Due to an existing contractual relationship where the City of Columbus participates in the rate setting process the City is required to use SWACO waste disposal services.
2. FISCAL IMPACT
This 2020 expense for tipping fees was budgeted within the Special Income Tax Fund and was part of Ordinance 2927-2019 approved by Council on 2/10/2020. However, due to the increased household waste associated with the COVID-19 pandemic, additional funds are needed for this expenditure, and appropriation will need to be transferred within the General Fund from the Department of Public Safety, Fire Division to the Department of Public Service, Division of Refuse Collection. The Department of Public Service w...
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