Recycling fees emotionally-charged issue for many area seniors
One of the hottest issues for many seniors in North Fort Myers is a change – and a charge – to mobile home parks’ active recycling programs.
Of the 110 mobile home communities in Lee County, 23 have active recycling programs, in which they have been able to use a private contractor to take certain recyclables (aluminum, newspapers and cardboard) and split the profit from the sales, with no additional charge for bulk waste pick-up by the county.
Bulk waste includes everything but the aluminum and newspapers, such as appliances and Christmas trees.
Now the county is looking to enforce an ordinance that was filed several years ago and has given the parks two options – either have the county pick up all recyclables, including those profitable, or choose a business designation for their park, allowing then to still use the private contractor but now also pay for bulk item pick up.
Some county officials and commissioners said overall costs will actually go down and enforcing the ordinance is only fair to all parks – residents have said that isn’t true, and feel they are being “strong armed” by the county.
Very different and very strong views are coming from residents, county officials and county commissioners.
Local parks that have benefitted greatly from the recycling profits in North Fort Myers include Tamiami Village and Old Bridge Village.
Residents there want things to stay the way the are – to be considered “grandfathered in” to what they have done for years.
Park representatives said recycling profits have helped keep overall costs down for seniors in this tough economy, allowing for safety and aesthetic enhancements and charitable activities.
“Old Bridge Village has been recycling in Lee County for several years. Because we get funds back from our private hauler for recycling, we have been able to control costs to maintain and improve our park and avoid raising maintenance fees for our residents, many who are on fixed income,” wrote Ray Chevalier, chairman of the Old Bridge Village recycling committee, in a recent letter to all county commissioners.
“We received a letter from the county that appears to give us until Sept. 1 to decide whether to be designated as ‘commercial,’ in which case we would be able to keep our private hauler for recyclables,” her said. “However, we would still lose our recycling funds because the county would be charging so much to haul away large pieces likes couches or appliances.
“If we go to a commercial designation, we feel that we are being strong-armed into something we don’t want to do and will have to pay exorbitant fees for items we currently do not pay for such as the pickup of large objects such as refrigerators, washers, dryers, TVs, etc.,” he added.
“The county makes very little money from our small community, yet the returns we get from recycling are vital to us. We simply want to continue as we have in the past. Please don’t force us into a bad financial situation and please don’t force our private haulers out of business.”
Barbara Olivera is the manager Tamiami Village.
“We use it (recycling funds) to help offset the cost to help maintain our property, which, in turn, minimizes the monthly maintenance fees,” she said. “Tamiami Village is a 55+ community where many of our residents are living on Social Security based on averages from 15 to 20 years ago. Therefore, some of our widows and widowers are having to survive on $500 or less per month.”
She said the she and her assistant, along with their bookkeeper, have been sitting down with many panicking residents who have heard conflicting news reports on the issue and worry about higher park fees.
“I’m not sure commissioners fully understood the ramifications of the decisions they make and how negatively they impact residents,” she said.
Until now, the parks have been exempt in paying those extra fees, given a two-year extension on following the ordinance.
“I am definitely on the side of the 23 mobile home parks,” said Commissioner John Manning. “I have asked for the status quo to remain intact for those 23 mobile home parks scattered across Lee County that are working with Garden Street (the independent contractor) on their individual recycling programs to continue to do so.
“My preference is to have them grandfathered in,” he continued. “In a minimally worst case scenario I’ll ask for another two-year extension on this issue. It is an agenda item for the Sept. 12 Managing and Planning session, and hopefully it will come back as a county commission agenda item soon after that.”
For other commissioners, it is a matter of fairness and equity to all the mobile home parks in the county to enforce the ordinance, and according to Commissioner Tammy Hall, the communities will actually pay less with the reduction of overall costs.
“We where looking for a happy medium,” Hall said of offering the parks a business designation choice where they would be able to continue profiting from their recycling sales with an independent contractor.
“The BOCC has approved allowing a specific number of mobile home parks in Lee County to utilize a private vendor in processing recyclable goods for payment to the mobile home organization,” she said. “There has been discussion that the process incorporated by the BOCC is causing a substantial increase in fees for these mobile home parks. This is not true.”
She provided this comparison:
- 2011 estimated cost for a facility of approximately 470 units if not allowed to use private vendor
Annual cost – $32,879
Cost per unit – $69.96
Estimated revenue to park – $0
- 2012 estimated cost if allowed to use private vendor
Annual cost – $32,355
Cost per unit – $68.63
Estimated revenue to park – $2,500.00
“An important part of what people are not taking into account is that all of the garbage prices are going to go down in October,” said Lee County’s Solid Waste Director Lindsey Sampson. “Even if they pay for additional services, the average mobile home park disposal costs will be cheaper, and they will be keeping the additional money they are selling the aluminum for.”
“This (issue) was decided three years ago by the County Commissioners, in which they (the recycling parks) had a two-year grace period and then that would go away.”
Commissioner Ray Judah said enforcing the ordinance is a matter of fairness, but he also believes in the business designation option.
“I will continue to support the 23 mobile home parks for an exemption from the Lee County Solid Waste ordinance that would permit the parks to contract separately with an independent contractor for the sale of their aluminum and newsprint,” he said. “By doing so the mobile home parks request to be treated as a business in regards to recyclable materials but it will also require that the additional costs for the removal of bulk waste items will have to be incurred by the parks.”
This is in order to avoid other businesses and residents subsidizing the 23 parks recycling programs, he said.
Garden Street Iron & Metal has provided recycling services to the mobile home park customers for many years. Owner Rob Weber said, “We’ve been servicing many of the parks since we opened, long before Lee County ever had a recycling program.
“With the money we provide through the recycling effort, they have been able to maintain aspects of their parks, and charitable benefits to organizations they support,” he said. “The county provides them no return on their recyclables, but will capture the funds to add to their $90 million cash reserves to their Solid Waste Division.”
Weber said he hopes upcoming discussions will leave the current situation in place.
A future report on the issue will be made after the Managing and Planning session Sept. 12.