LOGAN — Two county commissioners on Thursday voiced their opposition to the Athens-Hocking Solid Waste District’s (AHSWD) proposed $12 annual parcel fee as part of the district’s 15-year financial management plan.
The fee would allow the AHSWD to raise the funds necessary to purchase the Athens-Hocking Recycling Center (AHRC) facility, as well as bolster its recycling programs, as reported by The Logan Daily News earlier this month.
It would also, according to the district director, allow the district’s generation and tiered landfill fees to remain as they are, among the lowest in the state. Raising these fees, a possibility if the parcel fee does not go through, could lead to higher trash rates for citizens across the two counties.
The proposed parcel fee is essentially a $12 excise annually on any improved parcel (meaning, a piece of land that has been altered by a structure, agriculture, etc.) in the county, which would be tacked onto the owner’s property tax. In order to pass, it would have to go through a public hearing process, followed by a final vote by the county commissioners.
Commissioner Sandra Ogle flatly said no to the possibility of approving the parcel fee without a general ballot measure, saying, “we’re taking the voter’s choice away from them.” She went on to speak on behalf of farmers and landlords who own multiple pieces of land, as their fees would increase according to how many parcels they own.
Commissioner Jason D’Onofrio said the fee to maintain and grow recycling services across the district’s counties would “arbitrarily” add to existing property taxes.
Neither AHSWD director Jane Forrest Redfern or AHRC director Crissa Cummings were available for comment by press time.
Elsewhere in Thursday’s meeting, Cindy Coss of Project Noelle, a nonprofit dedicated to aiding children who lost parents due to the opioid crisis, spoke to the commissioners.
“It’s important that elected officials know what the project is, that it’s here to stay and fight for the youngest victims of this epidemic,” Coss said.
Project Noelle was founded in Sandusky, Ohio, in 2017, after its founder lost a daughter to an accidental overdose. It is now present in 28 counties in Ohio, as well as others in Florida and North Carolina.
Coss, who has been instrumental in bringing the services of the project to Hocking County, spoke to her own experience of losing two children to accidental overdoses, with five grandchildren who suffered as result.
Among the different services offered by Project Noelle are emergency clothes and diapers to people who end up taking care of children who lose parents to opioid overdoses. They also give out Easter baskets, have Christmas gift programs, and hold events and group activities for kids in the program to meet each other.
It is “a way to get these kids together to let them know there are people that care, to let them see they’re not the only ones going through this crisis,” Coss said.
As a nonprofit, the project is funded through donations, grants, and sponsorships. Its local branch received a boost this year through the Foundation for Appalachian Ohio’s Donald R. Myers Legacy Fund, a $1,000 grant.
More can be found out about Project Noelle at its website, projectnoelle.com, or on its Facebook page.
Commissioner Jason D’Onofrio made quick mention Thursday morning of the upcoming recycling day, put on by the AHSWD at the Hocking County Fairgrounds. It will be hosted from 9 a.m.-1 p.m. on Saturday, May 18.
A wide number of hard-to-recycle materials, including furniture, e-waste, clothing, scrap metals, and more will be available to recycle for free. Tires without rims will be accepted for $.50 each; with rims they are $4 each. Televisions will be accepted as well for a steeper fee, while fluorescent tubes and compact bulbs cost 50 cents each to recycle.
Email at rmorris@logandaily.com
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