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The Planning and Zoning Committee of the DeKalb County Board met on March 26, 2008 at 7:00 p.m. in the Conference Room East located in the DeKalb County Administration Building.  In attendance were Committee Members Roger Steimel, Marlene Allen, Vince Faivre,  Eileen Dubin, Michael Haines, and Pat Vary, and staff members Paul Miller and Rebecca Von Drasek. Also in attendance was Mike Hey with Waste Management, Christel Springmire with the DeKalb County Health Department, Kate Schott, and Aaron Ruder.

Mr. Steimel, Planning and Zoning Committee Chairman, called the meeting to order, and noted that Committee member Anita Turner was absent.

APPROVAL OF MINUTES

Ms. Vary moved to approve the minutes of the February 27, 2008 meeting of the Planning and Zoning Committee, seconded by Ms. Dubin, and the motion carried unanimously.

APPROVAL OF AGENDA

Mr. Steimel moved to amend the agenda to include an item seven for a discussion of FEMA’s Severe Repetitive Loss Program.

Mr. Haines moved to approve the agenda as amended, which was seconded by Ms. Allen, and the motion carried unanimously.

LANDFILL LICENSE ANNUAL RENEWAL

Waste Management of Illinois filed an application for renewal of a County license to operate the DeKalb County Sanitary Landfill.  The landfill is located east of Somonauk Road, immediately south of the I-88 Tollway, in unincorporated Cortland Township.  The property is zoned A-1, agricultural, with a Special Use for the operation of a landfill.  The authority for the County to annually license garbage disposal areas, and establish a fee for such license, is set forth in the Illinois Compiled Statutes, 55 ILCS 5/5-8002 and 8003.  As operator of the landfill, Waste Management annually applies for renewal of the County license.  The period for the requested license renewal is May 1, 2008 to April 30, 2009.

Mike Hey with Waste Management presented to the Committee an overview of the operations at current landfill site.  The Committee was given a fact sheet of information regarding the use of the landfill over the past year.

Mr. Faivre asked if ash borer traps were onsite.  Mr. Hey indicated that there were none currently  and that he had only recently learned that they were available.  He indicated that he would further research them and would be willing to have them onsite.  He added that Waste Management was recognized by state agencies as an acceptable disposal site for ash tree material.

Ms. Vary asked about the compost that Waste Management created from the yard waste collection and if it was available to the public.  Mr. Hey explained that the majority of sales are to wholesalers but that Waste Management will sell to anybody who wants the material.

Mr. Steimel asked about the new cell to be created onsite during the upcoming licensing period.  Mr. Hey then outlined the planned completion of the existing pile and the steps that were necessary to create a new cell at the landfill.

Mr. Haines asked if the clay lining created for the new cell required clay to be brought in.  Mr. Hey indicated that the clay underneath the landfill was sufficient for the clay liner.

Mr. Hey then discussed the gas extraction at the landfill over the past year, explaining that eight new wells have been placed into the fill pile due in part to the wet weather the region has been experiencing, which increases the rate of decomposition and increases the release of methane gas.  He approximated the release rate at 785 cubic feet per minute (cfm).   Additionally, he explained the method by which the gas pressure is measured by the orifice plate within the flare.

Ms. Vary asked what the release requirements where to capture the gas for use.  Mr. Hey noted that  the pressure was almost high enough for energy conversion, which requires approximately 1,000 cfm.  Mr. Hey further noted that the flare at the landfill, which burns the gas emissions, will need to be relocated and replaced this year.  Mr. Hey emphasized that utilizing gas output was one of Waste Management’s top priorities. 

Mr. Miller asked about the collection and sale of the gas itself rather than the option of using the gas for power generation on site.  Mr. Hey explained that it was expensive to convert the methane to a quality heating gas, and noted that the deregulation of the electric utilities gives greater flexibility on energy generation then on gas creation.

Mr. Haines asked if an ethanol plant could use the gas energy and the leachate water from the landfill to power turbines and fulfill water demands for ethanol production.   The Committee then briefly discussed the composition and creation of ethanol.  Mr. Faivre noted that a similar project was attempted in Rockford and failed due to less expensive natural gas. 

Mr. Steimel then asked Mr. Hey to further clarify Waste Managements procedures for dealing with the odor from the landfill.  Mr. Hey then correlated the relationship of low pressure days to intense odor days, he indicated that this past year there were many low pressure days.  Mr. Steimel also asked about the shredded wood material being brought to the site daily and if that material was included in the out-of-county materials totals.  Mr. Hey stated he was not sure if the materials were listed within the totals, and that he would verify if they were listed in either column.  Additionally he explained that the landfill uses this material, which is made up of construction wood waste, and explained that the material was placed on roadways to prevent muddy conditions within the site, rather than purchasing gravel.  He also noted that their shredded wood supply was expected to disappear once the Robins Incinerator is up and running as they will likely pay for this material.  Lastly, Mr. Steimel noted that now that the School District referendum has passed an elementary school was likely to be erected just north of the landfill.  Mr. Hey suggested that the landfill attempts to be a good neighbor and reduce problems.  Mr. Hey then invited any of the members to schedule a time to visit the landfill and receive a personalized tour.

Ms. Dubin noted that the report indicated that the landfill has only another 8.2 years left.  Mr. Hey explained how Waste Management and the State of Illinois forecast the life of a landfill, he noted that this year the numbers were relatively close.  He also stated that he was unaware of any expansion plans as his focus is on current operations.

Mr. Steimel commented that the onsite staff at the landfill were doing a good job.

Ms. Vary moved to recommend approval of the license renewal.  Ms. Allen seconded, and the motion carried unanimously.

Mr. Steimel noted that the County Board will make a final decision on the application at the April 16, 2008 meeting at 7:30 pm in the Gathertorium.

RECYCLING ANNUAL REPORT

Christel Springmire, DeKalb County Health Department, presented briefly on the DeKalb County Solid Waste Management Program.  She provided the 2007 Solid Waste Annual Report and explained that the time frame for reporting this year included five quarters, rather than four, due to the change in the County’s fiscal calendar.  She noted on Graph 1 of the report that with the closing of Cavel the amount of grease recycled had dropped.  Ms. Springmire also reminded the Committee that reporting to her office was voluntary and therefore accuracy was always speculative. 

Ms. Vary asked where plastic materials were on the graph.  Ms. Springmire stated that plastics where included in the commingled column.  Ms. Vary then asked why this number of 5,829 tons was so low and Ms. Springmire noted that plastics are relatively light. 

Ms. Dubin asked Ms. Springmire how DeKalb County compared to other recycling Counties.  Ms. Springmire indicated that DeKalb is ahead of the curve in their recycling efforts.  However, she noted the difficulties of encouraging apartment complexes to offer recycling and outlined a prospective four month trial program in three different types of complexes to determine if the loads would be contaminated with trash.  She also stated that Kane County has an ordinance mandating recycling at multi-residential units.

Mr. Haines asked if Ms. Springmire felt DeKalb County needed a similar ordinance.  She had a mixed reaction to the idea.  Mr. Faivre and Ms. Allen supported attempting the trial program before discussing an ordinance.

The Committee also expressed surprise to learn that recycling was not offered in the residence halls at NIU.  Ms. Springmire stated that the program was expected to start in August and run through November.  Mr. Steimel also suggested that staff research the Kane County ordinance and the success of its application.  Ms. Allen stated that she could understand why a property owner would be resistant to losing a parking space.

Florescent bulb recycling was also addressed briefly during the discussion.  Ms. Springmire highlighted the upcoming electronic recycling event at the DeKalb County Health Department scheduled for April 26, 2008 from 9:00 am to 1:00 pm, drop offs are limited to one monitor.  Mr. Hey also brought to the Committee attention that Waste Management has a site called “LampTracker” which allows businesses and individuals to purchase special disposal boxes for recycling florescent bulbs.

Ms. Vary complimented the amount and quality of the information posted at the Solid Waste Management pages on the County’s web site and encouraged its continued maintenance. 

Mr. Steimel thanked Mr. Springmire for her presentation.

SEVERE REPETITIVE LOSS (SRL) PROGRAM

Mr. Miller presented the time-sensitive project brought to staff’s attention by representatives from FEMA.  The SRL program is only for qualifying properties which have made at least four claims in the past ten years for over $5,000 each.  The program is a 90/10 matching plan and he noted that the County’s ten percent share could be service-in-kind or a reduction in the purchase offer for a repetitive loss property itself.  He emphasized the consequence that the County would then become the owner of the property, which would result in continual maintenance costs.  Mr. Miller explained that if the property owner rejected the bid for the property then their flood insurance premiums could then be raised incrementally.  He explained that the subject property is located on Thompson Rd, in Mayfield Township, and that the potential future uses may be limited by the layout of the five acre property.

Mr. Steimel indicated he had visited the site and agreed that the layout would limit some uses.

Ms. Vary expressed concern for the consequences of the program on the property owner.

Mr. Faivre asked why Evergreen Village would not qualify for this type of program.  Mr. Miller noted that the program is intended for single family homes, and uses a separate “pot of money” for mitigation.

Mr. Haines supported waiting until the next application period rather than rushing to submit an application by the May deadline.  The general consensus of the committee agreed with Mr. Haines.  Mr. Faivre asked that the next time the Committee receive some hard numbers to discuss, staff indicated that those cost would be generated after the Committee directed staff to apply for the program.

Mr. Miller also updated the Committee on the status of the mitigation plans for Evergreen Village.  He explained that as the number of flood events and disaster declarations increase, then the amount of money available grows.  He noted that the County’s consultant Molly O’Toole continues to monitor the progress of FEMA.  Additionally, staff has continued to follow-up with Ron Davis, IEMA, to keep abreast of developments within the State mitigation funds.

Mr. Faivre asked if everything that can be done is being done and Mr. Miller responded that the County is currently in a holding pattern, however, every step to mitigate the project is being taken.

ADJOURNMENT 

Ms. Vary moved to adjourn, seconded by Ms. Dubin, and the motion carried unanimously.

The next meeting of the Planning and Zoning Committee is scheduled for April 23, 2008 at 7:00pm in the Conference Room East.

Respectfully submitted,

Roger Steimel

Planning and Zoning Committee Chairman

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