The regular meeting of the East Central Solid Waste Commission was held on February 8 2021 at Kanabec County Sheriff’s Meeting Room, Mora, MN. Chairman Greene called the meeting to order at 9:00 a.m.
Members present at the meeting included: Chisago County Commissioner Richard Greene, Kanabec County Commissioner Dennis McNally, Isanti County Commissioner Dave Oslund and Mille Lacs County Commissioner Phil Peterson. Pine County Commissioner Steve Hallan attended via facetime from Pensacola,Florida.
Advisory Member Present – Executive Director Janelle Troupe.
Others also present at the meeting included: None
PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE
All present said the Pledge of Allegiance.
AGENDA APPROVAL
Commissioner McNally requested that 8.2 Deer Carcasses be added to Agenda, Commissioner Oslund moved to approve the Agenda, second by Commissioner Peterson, all in favor, motion carried (5-0).
MEETING MINUTES FOR BOARD MEETING JANUARY 11, 2021
Commissioner Peterson moved to approve the Meeting Minutes January 11, 2021 second by Commissioner Hallan, all in favor, motion carried (5-0).
CLAIMS
Commissioner Hallan moved to approve the Claims List, Paid Claims List, the Additional Claims List, and the Hauler Rebate, second by Commissioner Oslund, all in favor of paying the Claims List ($95,511.04), the Paid Claims List ($14,750.69), Payroll items ($106,392.39), the Additional Claims List ($26,561.42), and the Hauler Rebate ($139,596.96), all in favor, motion carried (5-0).
PUBLIC COMMENT
None at this time.
DECEMBER 2020 FINANCIAL STATEMENT
Director Troupe reported for the month ended December 31, 2020 ECSWC realized a net income on an accrual basis of $104,109.20. On a cash flow basis for the month of December there is an increase in cash of $282,982.53. Un-obligated cash less upcoming cash outlays at the end of the month was $3,585,170. For fiscal year 2020, our estimated accrual income is $736,423 after the County Return on Investment.
Reserve accounts for landfill expansion, hauler rebate, operating contingency, and host facility fund total $3,700,332. Tonnage for 2021 is 7,506 tons.
The funds in December are invested as follows:
The money market checking account at First Citizens National Bank earns .10%, the CDs earn 2.25%. The Magic Fund rate is .10% and Unity Bank current interest rates are .25%.
Commissioner McNally moved to approve the December 2020 Financial Statement, second by Commissioner McNally, all in favor, motion carried (5-0).
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR REPORT
Landfill Responsibility Act Recommendation:
The Governor recommends approval of $670,000 in FY 2022 and $1.170 million each year afterwards from the Special Revenue Fund to the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency’s (MPCA) Resource Management and Assistance Division to carry out the duties of the Landfill Responsibility Act (LRA). The expenditure would be offset by an annual assessment on Mixed Municipal Solid Waste (MMSW) landfills to cover MPCA’s expenses to administer and staff the program.
Rationale/Background:
Landfills currently have no formal incentives to reduce the amount of waste they receive and slow their growth in size, despite the clear societal and environmental benefits. In 2019, there were 20 active MMSW landfills, collecting about 2.1 million tons of waste.
Waste prevention and reusing materials are priorities in Minnesota’s efforts to combat climate change.
Director Troupe commented that she would like to see the Commission make the decision on what this money would be spent on. Commissioner Hallan stated that he would like to see some control of our own destiny. Consensus was that Commission does not want this money to just be used to increase funds for State.
Clerk Typist/Weighmaster
Director Troupe reported that Commission is advertising for a full-time position. We had a 60% Weighmaster job to fill; we did not get any qualified applicants. Hopefully by making the position full-time, we can find someone that will stay. The job description includes Weighmaster duties and Clerk Typist duties in Office.
DEER CARCASSES
Commissioner McNally referred to an article in the Kanabec County Times, written by Mike Gainor, “Rep.Nelson faced balancing deer disease spread with economic impact.” Commissioner McNally suggested that there is good information in this article commenting that we should not be taking deer carcasses across lines.
Commissioner Hallan suggested that we have the meeting about deer carcasses soon. Commissioner Hallan will contact Jim Jordan with the Deer Hunter’s Association, Representative Nelson to see if they can attend meeting on March 8, 2021.
PUBLIC COMMENT
None at this time.
MARCH MEETING DATE
The March Meeting is scheduled for Monday, March 8, 2021 at 9:00 a.m. at Kanabec Courthouse Basement Meeting Rooms.
ADJOURNMENT
Chairman Greene asked for a motion to adjourn. Commissioner Oslund moved to adjourn the meeting at 9:40, second by Commissioner Peterson, all in favor, motion carried (5-0).
Respectfully submitted,
Janelle Troupe, Executive Director