Laserfiche WebLink
BACKGROUND <br /> As part of the settlement of litigation over the expansion of the Altamont Landfill, the <br /> parties to the litigation agreement (Alameda County, Waste Management of Alameda <br /> County, the cities of Livermore and Pleasanton, and various environmental groups) <br /> agreed that the County would impose a fee totaling $1.25 per ton at the Altamont Landfill <br /> and Resource Recovery Facility effective January 2001. Each January thereafter, the <br /> fee would be adjusted to reflect the change in the Consumer Price Index (CPI) for the <br /> most recent 12-month period. The portion of the fee that funds the Education Account <br /> increased to $0.34 cents per ton, which is expected to amount to approximately <br /> $500,000 annually. The jurisdictions currently paying this fee are Oakland, San <br /> Francisco, Alameda, San Leandro, Castro Valley, Oro Loma, Albany, Hayward, and <br /> Dublin. <br /> The Altamont Settlement Agreement Education Advisory Board meets approximately <br /> once a month. The Education Advisory Board consists of five voting members including <br /> two members from the Northern California Recycling Association, one member from the <br /> City of Pleasanton, one member from the City of Livermore, and one member from the <br /> Alameda County Recycling Board. The Pleasanton representative is Tony Dennis, an <br /> engineering teacher at Amador Valley High School. <br /> The Education Advisory Board can propose the allocation of funds in the Education <br /> Account to support diversion education programs, job training in the field of waste <br /> diversion and recycling, and to mitigate the impacts of the Altamont Landfill on the <br /> affected neighboring community. The approximate balance in the Education Account <br /> held by Alameda County as of November 2016 was $1.2 million. <br /> DISCUSSION <br /> The Altamont Settlement Agreement requires the Education Advisory Board to submit a <br /> proposed allocation of funds on an annual basis by April 1st. In accordance with the <br /> Altamont Settlement Agreement, concurrence by the Northern California Recycling <br /> Association (NCRA), the cities of Pleasanton and Livermore, and Alameda County is <br /> necessary to fund any proposed allocation from the Education Account. <br /> This is the thirteenth request for annual authorization of the expenditure plan from the <br /> Education Advisory Board. On November 28, 2016, the Education Advisory Board <br /> unanimously agreed to propose the 2017-18 Expenditure Plan to the authorizing <br /> entities. The attached expenditure plan outlines a process for funding mini-grants, <br /> annual competitive grants, multi-year grants, Alameda Landowners Against <br /> Mismanagement (ALARM) mitigation grants, and Board-initiated projects, setting <br /> funding goals for each grant category. For Fiscal year 2017-18, the Board is proposing <br /> to award a maximum of $130,000 in mini-grants, $265,000 in project grants, $50,000 for <br /> Board-initiated projects, $60,000 for multi-year grants, $10,000 for landfill mitigation <br /> projects, $5,000 for Board communications/website, and $30,000 for administrative <br /> support to the City of Livermore. It is expected that the majority of grant applications will <br /> come from environmental educators and programs. Additional grants may be awarded <br /> Page 2 of 3 <br />