The pending contract with Freedom Energy Hernando, LLC was not ready for discussion when the BOCC met on 11/15/16. Brian Malmberg, Assistant County Administrator, advised the BOCC that his office was trying to reconcile the contract terms against the potential savings for the county.
Commissioner Diane Rowden asked to delay a vote on the contract to the 12/06/16 meeting, when the newly-elected commissioners would be sworn in.
The main concern, Chairman Jim Adkins said, is that postponing the matter for a few weeks would not address the fact that the company has no active plant and no track record. Adkins recommended an economic feasibility study, even though he was aware it could cost the county $50,000.
“Absolutely not,” Nicholson said loudly, a response which appeared to catch Adkins off guard. “We have the numbers to proceed. We’re going to make money on this project. It’s going to save the County millions of dollars a year,” Nicholson said.
It’s clear Adkins has other reservations, including the negative effect to County employees who would be let go, and what protections the County has if the company cannot fulfill the contract terms. The company also has not submitted a financial proposal and operational plan at this point.
At Commissioner Wayne Dukes’ suggestion, however, the BOCC agreed to take no action until 12/13/16, giving the incoming BOCC a chance to review the proposal and determine the next step together.
Public comment was limited to changing the agenda. Richard Ross stated that moving the date a few weeks would not allow the new BOCC to fully review the matter. The present BOCC has had the liberty to discuss the issue over the past year and a half.
To be fair, Ross said, the new commissioners should have at least several months to review all the materials. Anthony Palmieri, who spoke later, agreed since there is no prepared contract. He compared the process to the U.S. Congress’ decision to pass the Affordable Healthcare Act without reading the bill.
It should be left to the new commissioners, Dukes responded, to determine how much time they would need for review, simply by changing the date. The BOCC voted unanimously to discuss the contract more fully at the 12/13/16 meeting.
With a minimum of 68 years of landfill “life”, plus the added time from the composting being done, Adkins believes there is no rush to decide. “I want to make sure that if it’s done…that the Board at that point in time can say this is the best for the County, or be willing to say that this is not,” he said, and Dukes agreed.
By comparison, Rowden discussed the landfill in use by St. Petersburg, where she grew up. Covering 240 acres, the landfill costs $750,000 annually to maintain, she said. All the garbage would need to be removed if the city chose to use that land for another purpose.
Hernando County’s landfill site spreads across 380+ acres, and Rowden believes that with thoughtful, progressive planning, energy can be created from processing the garbage, making a profit for the County. This will become more important as the County continues to grow.
Beyond that, there is money to be made in providing access to the land. To Rowden, it wasn’t an issue if someone makes money in the process. “If the County’s not losing money, that’s the whole key,” she said.
Adkins restated that he wants the final decision to be a good one for the county, and he wants it to be “right.” Rowden agreed that whatever is decided should be of benefit to the taxpayers. After a year and half of discussion, it would be unwise to rush into a decision.