04 - Laserfiche WebLink

BACKGROUND As part of the settlement of litigation over the expansion of the Altamont Landfill, the parties to the litigation agreement (Alameda County, Waste Management of Alameda County, the cities of Livermore and Pleasanton, and various environmental groups) agreed that the County would impose a fee totaling $1.25 per ton at the Altamont Landfill and Resource Recovery Facility effective January 2001. Each January thereafter, the fee would be adjusted to reflect the change in the Consumer Price Index (CPI) for the most recent 12-month period. The portion of the fee that funds the Education Account increased to $0.34 cents per ton, which is expected to amount to approximately $500,000 annually. The jurisdictions currently paying this fee are Oakland, San Francisco, Alameda, San Leandro, Castro Valley, Oro Loma, Albany, Hayward, and Dublin. The Altamont Settlement Agreement Education Advisory Board meets approximately once a month. The Education Advisory Board consists of five voting members including two members from the Northern California Recycling Association, one member from the City of Pleasanton, one member from the City of Livermore, and one member from the Alameda County Recycling Board. The Pleasanton representative is Tony Dennis, an engineering teacher at Amador Valley High School. The Education Advisory Board can propose the allocation of funds in the Education Account to support diversion education programs, job training in the field of waste diversion and recycling, and to mitigate the impacts of the Altamont Landfill on the affected neighboring community. The approximate balance in the Education Account held by Alameda County as of December 31, 2017 was $1 million. DISCUSSION The Altamont Settlement Agreement requires the Education Advisory Board to submit a proposed allocation of funds on an annual basis by April 1. In accordance with the Altamont Settlement Agreement, concurrence by the Northern California Recycling Association (NCRA), the cities of Pleasanton and Livermore, and Alameda County is necessary to fund any proposed allocation from the Education Account. This is the fourteenth request for annual authorization of the expenditure plan from the Education Advisory Board. On November 29, 2017, the Education Advisory Board unanimously agreed to propose the 2018-19 Expenditure Plan to the authorizing entities. The attached expenditure plan outlines a process for funding mini-grants, annual competitive grants, multi-year grants, Alameda Landowners Against Mismanagement (ALARM) mitigation grants, and Board-initiated projects, setting funding goals for each grant category. For Fiscal year 2018-19, the Board is proposing to award a maximum of$130,000 in mini-grants, $325,000 in project grants, $50,000 for Board-initiated projects, zero for multi-year grants, $10,000 for landfill mitigation projects, $5,000 for Board communications/website, and $30,000 for administrative support to the City of Livermore. It is expected that the majority of grant applications will come from environmental educators and programs. Additional grants may be awarded Page 2of3