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HomeMy WebLinkAboutTompkins county landfill siting Groton Sharing Benefit PlanTompkins County Landfill Siting GROTON BENEFIT -SHARING PLAN Teresa Robinson Supervisor Town of Groton January 1987 WHY HAVE A BENEFIT -SHARING PLAN? 1. Those who must live near the landfill site should not have to bear the full cost of its presence. 2. Those who do not have to live near the landfill will continue to dump their garbage in it, however. 3. The perceived costs of having a landfill in the neighborhood have been clearly described by opponents. Therefore 1. If the landfill is kept out of the neighborhood, the substantial costs associated with its presence become benefits that have been gained. 2. These benefits should be shared with the unfortunate folks who are compelled to have the landfill in their backyard. 3. They should also be shared with the Town where it is located, which must bear impacts on future development potential. - 2 - WHAT DOES THE BENEFIT —SHARING PLAN DO? 1. It mitigates nearby residents? fears about: 1. Water Pollution, 2. Littering, and 3. Property Values 2. It mitigates general impacts on the Town concerning: 1. Highway maintenance costs, 2. Operation of the landfill, and 3. Impacts on future development -3- IN HOW WILL THE BENEFIT -SHARING PLAN WORK? 1. A special district will be created around the landfill site. 1. The district shall extend for one mile from the outer boundary of the landfill site property line. 2. It is estimated that in Groton this district may contain up to 30 homes and farms or more. 3. Special programs for water pollution monitoring, property tax reduction and buyout options will be applied to various portions of the special district. 2. All other benefits will apply to the Town as a whole, as specified in the Plan. - 4 - WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS? 1. Water Pollution Monitoring: I. Water supply testing for residents within the district. 2. A well information survey for residents within the district. 3. Establishing additional monitoring wells. 4. Water pollution testing in nearby streams and wetlands. 2. Reduced Property Values and Littering: 1. Creating a special roadside cleanup and grooming crew. 2. Reduction in property taxes near the landfill site. 3. A buyout option for residential property near the site. - 5 - 3. Highways and Hidden Costs to the Town: 1. Assistance with increased highway maintenance costs. 2. A Town Inspector to monitor operation of the landfill. 3. A water supply assistance program for Town residents. 4. Undesignated assistance to the Town to mitigate hidden costs. - 6 - THE BENEFIT -SHARING PLAN 1. Private on -site water supply testing for selected pollutants: 1. Four times a year for an estimated ten homes and farms within one-half mile of the landfill property boundary: $10,600 per year. 2. Once a year for an estimated 20 homes and farms between one-half mile and one mile of the landfill property boundary: $5,300 per year. 3. Installation of outside water system taps to obtain water samples without the need to enter the home: $4,500, lst year cost only. 2. On -site well supply information survey: $15,000, Ist year cost only. 1. The survey shall include information on type of well and depth; age of well; well driller (if known); types of soil and bedrock penetrated and their significance; well yield; locational characteristics, including known nearby potential pollution sources; and any other available information on the well site and the source of the water supplying the well. - 7 - 3. Ten monitoring wells, located within the district away from the influence of homes and farms: 1. Installation: $12,0009 1st year cost only. 2. Testing for selected pollutants three times a year: $7,950 per year. 3. Testing for priority pollutants, as defined by the New York State Department of Health, once a year: $25,000 per year. 4. The purpose of the monitoring wells is to (1) provide additional advance warning of groundwater pollution that may affect private wells, and (2) provide an indication of prevailing natural groundwater quality in the area, for comparison with tests results from private wells. 4. Surface Water Testing: 1. Testing once a year for selected pollutants for an estimated five streams and wetlands within two miles of the landfill property boundary: $1,325 per year. 6 5. Town Landfill Inspector: $20,000 per year, part-time. 1. The town inspector shall investigate, monitor and report on any aspect of the landfill operation that is of concern to Town officials or Town residents; this shall include identification of illegal wastes being deposited in the facility. 6. Roadside Cleanup and Grooming: $20,000 per year. (Estimated labor and equipment costs) 1. Roadside cleanup patrol within two miles of the landfill site at least once a week. 2. Additional roadside grooming to provide an esthetically pleasing roadside appearance. - 9 - 7. Increased Highway Maintenance Costs: $45,000 per year. 1. Estimated 100% increase in maintenance costs on 10% of the Town road network. Increase cost estimate is therefore approximately 10% of the 1987 road maintenance budget for the Town of Groton, including machinery upkeep. 8. Water Supply Assistance Plan for Town Residents: $24,000 per year, beginning second year. 1. This shall be a part-time position, with office and supply support. 2. This program shall be conducted through the county Cooperative Extension office. It will assist private well owners with water supply problems, including contamination, water treatment devices and development of new water supplies. It shall also include educational assistance to town residents on water supply problems, including the public schools. - 10 - IM 9. Mitigation of Hidden Costs to Town: 1. First Year: $22,325. 2. Succeeding Years: $29,825. 10. Reduced Property Taxes: 1. Fifty percent reduction of property taxes within one-half mile of landfill site boundary: County 2. Twenty-five percent reduction of property taxes for property between one-half and one mile from the landfill site boundary: County. 3. Payments in lieu of taxes shall be made to the Town to make up for reductions in Town property tax. 11. Buyout Option: County. 1. This shall be a voluntary program offered to residential property only within one-half mile of the landfill site property boundary. 2. Purchase price shall be at 150% of appraised pre -landfill market value for residential parcels. 3. Other land associated with a residential parcel shall be purchased at 100% of the appraised pre -landfill market value. 4. The 150% buyout price is based on the assumption that the sale, although voluntary, would not have taken place in the absence of the landfill site. h BASIS FOR COST ESTIMATES 1. Current water testing price list by a New York State certified laboratory. 2. Cornell Center for Environmental Research. 3. Information on other areas where benefit -sharing is being used. 4. Town of Groton Highway Budget for 1987. 5. Estimates of current salary levels for various types of personnel stipulated in the Plan. 6. General assessment of costs cited for having a landfill in the neighborhood or Town, various sources. - 12 - SUMMARY BENEFIT -SHARING PLAN TOWN OF GROTON (Annual Cost Estimates, Unless Otherwise Noted) 1. Water Pollution Concerns A. Continuing Program Costs $503,175 Private Well Testing, $15,900 Monitoring Well Testing, $32,950 Surface Water Testing, $1,325 B. First Year Only ($31,500) Private Well Taps, $4,500 Private Well Survey, $15,000 Install Aonitoring Wells, $12,000 2. Other Benefits Town Inspector $209000 Roadside Cleanup $209000 Highway Maintenance $45,000 Water Assistance Program $24 000 Undesignated Benefits First year, ($22,325) Succeeding years $291,825 3. Reduced Property Tax County 4. Buyout Option County - 13 - $1899000 I Additional Notations 1. The total benefits in this Plan are equivalent to about $2.70 per ton for 70,000 tons of garbage deposited in the landfill annually. The actual benefits were arrived at independently of this, however. 2. These benefits shall be adjusted at least once every three years according to the federal inflation index. 3. The benefits shall be increased if garbage from outside the county is accepted in the landfill. The actual amount of the increase shall be negotiated, but should not be less than the equivalent of $1.00 per ton for the out -of -county garbage. ii Tompkin3 County Landfill Siting GROTON BENEFIT -SHARING PLAN Teresa Robinson Supervisor Town of Groton With The Assistance Of Lyle S. Raymond Jr. Water Resources Institute Cornell Center for Environmental Research Cornell University, Ithaca, NY January 1987 Preface The Groton Benefit -Sharing Plan was developed to offset the perceived costs associated with the presence of a landfill. These costs are divided into two categories: impacts on nearby residents and impacts affecting the Town where it is located as a whole. There are winners and losers in the landfill siting process. The winners keep the landfill out of their neighborhood, yet keep the right to dispose of their solid wastes in it. This is a positive gain for the winners, of course, with substantial benefits. The Groton Benefit -Sharing Plan places responsibility on the winners to share their benefits with the losing community, and provides a method for doing this. It is called "benefit -sharing" because there must be greater recognition that waste disposal is everyone's responsibility, not something for which a few disgruntled people are "paid off" and forgotten about. That's why calling this process a "bribe" or "compensation" is not appropriate. These terms do not convey the fact everyone is part of the waste disposal problem, and that they must directly participate in resolving it. The Groton Benefit -Sharing Plan was developed for the Town of Groton, Tompkins County, with the assistance of Lyle Raymond, Water Resources Institute, Cornell Center for Environmental Research, Cornell University. It was presented at the January 28th, 1987 meeting of the Tompkins County Solid Waste Committee. This report is in two parts. The first part is a press release that explains the rationale for the Plan and briefly summarizes its principal components. The second part is the Groton Benefit -Sharing Plan. The Town Board of GAOlyr t ', �► ERECTED o' 1 8 1 7 o tom'.. SE A�,;•`'t �o u Mt 101 Conger Boulevard Groton, N. Y. 13073 January 28, 1987 PRESS RELEASE Town of Groton For Further Information, Contact: Teresa Robinson, Groton Town Office, Tel. 898-5035 Lyle Raymond, Cornell Center for Environmental Research, Tel. 255-5943 Homeowners near a landfill site should not have to bear the full cost of its presence for the convenience of everyone else in the county, says Groton Supervisor Teresa Robinson. Ms Robinson feels that the day is past when a community will accept a waste disposal site without some means of sharing in the winners' gains. The winners, of course, are the people in the rest of the county who escape the presence of a landfill in their neighborhood, while keeping access to it to dispose of their garbage. Als Robinson has developed a benefit -sharing plan to correct this inequity. The Groton benefit -sharing plan was presented to the County Solid Waste Committee at its Wednesday, January 28th , meeting at the Biggs Center. Ms Robinson says that this is definitely not an invitation to locate the landfill in Groton. The landfill must go somewhere, however. The benefit -sharing plan is a method for asking the winners to share their gains with the losing community. The perceived losses from the presence of a landfill in the neighborhood are clearly stated by opponents and those who now live near the old sites. They include reduced property values, fears of water pollution and littering, and deterioration of the roads. Perhaps the greatest loss is the impact on the character of the whole area, causing a reduction in its attractiveness for future development. The most obvious losers are residents who must live near the landfill site. The second loser is the Town, for reduced development potential and increased road maintenance costs. A special one -mile district would be created around the landfill, according to the Groton plan. Special programs to mitigate fears of water pollution and reduced property values would developed in this district. Other benefits would be provided to the Town as a whole. For homes and farms within the district, water supplies would be tested for selected pollutants. As many as 30 homes and farms would be involved, at an estimated cost of $15,900 a year. Permanent outside water taps would be installed to allow water samples to be - 1 - drawn without entering the home. The installation cost for 30 homes and farms is estimated to be about $4,500. A private water well information survey would be conducted for homes and farms within the special one -mile district. This would include all available information on the 'well supply, including well depth, type of well, types of soil and bedrock penetrated by the well, and known nearby potential pollution sources. It is suggested that the information obtained in the well information survey should be attached to the property deed for permanent reference. The cost of this survey is estimated to be about $15,000. Ten monitoring wells would also be installed within the one -mile special district, away from the influence of residences and farmsteads. Installation cost for these wells would be about $12,000. The monitoring wells would provide additional advance warning of groundwater pollution that may affect private wells, and provide an indication of prevailing natural groundwater quality in the area for comparison with test results from private wells. These monitoring wells would be tested three times a year for selected pollutants, and once a year for priority pollutants defined by the New York State Health Department. The total estimated annual cost is about $25,000 per year. The Groton benefit -sharing plan also includes $1,325 a year for at least five annual tests for selected pollutants in streams and wetlands within two miles of the landfill site. A special road crew would patrol all roads within two miles of the landfill site at least once a week to remove all litter. The plan also suggests that this crew would engage in additional roadside grooming to ensure an esthetically pleasing roadside appearance at all times in the vicinity of the landfill site. A town landfill inspector would be employed to investigate, monitor, and report on any aspect of the landfill operation that is of concern to Town officials or town residents. This would include identification of illegal wastes being deposited in the facility. It is estimated that a roadside cleanup and grooming crew would cost $20,000 a year, and that a town landfill inspector would cost a similar amount. Nearly half of the proposed benefit -sharing budget is for water pollution concerns, roadside cleanup, and a town inspector. Ms Robinson points out that most town roads were not built to handle high volumes of heavy truck traffic. Highway maintenance costs are also the largest item in a town budget. Changes in this budget can quickly influence town tax rates. The Groton benefit -sharing plan estimates that road maintenance costs will at least double on town roads converging on the landfill site. Even if the county - 2 - provides main access roads to the landfill, it is felt that many trucks may use town roads as shortcuts. It was estimated that at least ten percent of the town road mileage in Groton may be affected if a landfill was located in the Town. A doubling of road maintenance costs on this portion would result in an increase of around $45,000 per year in the Town highway budget. This figure is about 10% of the total Groton highway budget, including machinery upkeep. The plan also includes a benefit -sharing program for all town residents to mitigate the general effects of a landfill in the area. A water supply assistance program for town residents would be set up through the county Cooperative Extension office. The water supply assistance program would provide private well owners with professional advice and assistance with their water supply problems. This would include water contamination, water treatment devices, development of new water supplies, and educational programs, including public schools. This program is estimated at about $24,000 per year. The detrimental effects of the presence of a landfill on future development in the town are difficult to estimate. There is no doubt, however, that they can be substantial, affecting development patterns in large portions of the town. Another name for this loss is intangible, or hidden, costs. The Groton benefit -sharing plan includes a sum of $29,825 per year to mitigate some of this loss. This would be an undesignated benefit item, that the Town Board would use at its discretion for the benefit of town residents. Reduced neighborhood attractiveness, resulting in reduced property values, is usually at the top of the loss list for landfill opponents. The Groton plan proposes to tackle this question head-on, by property tax reductions. Under the plan, property owners within one-half mile of the landfill would have their taxes reduced by fifty percent. Property between one-half mile and one mile from the landfill would have a twenty-five percent tax reduction. The loss in town property taxes would be made up by payments in lieu of taxes from the county. Ms Robinson feels that property tax reduction is still not sufficient for some folks who find a landfill in their backyard. The Groton plan therefore proposes that the county should offer a voluntary buyout option for residential property within one-half mile of the landfill. The buyout option would pay 150% of the appraised pre -landfill market value for a residential parcel. Other land associated with the residential parcel would be purchased at 100% of the appraised pre -landfill market value. The buyout option would not include commercial property, including farms. Why a buyout price at 150% of market value? The Groton plan assumes that although the sale would be voluntary, it still would not have occurred if the - 3 - landfill had not been placed there, says Ms Robinson. These folks deserve a little extra benefit from the winners who don't have to make such a decision, Ms Robinson feels. The total annual cost of the Groton benefit -sharing plan is approximately $189,000 per year. Is this justified? "We think it is," says Ms Robinson. "It is a fair estimate of the total impact of a landfill on a town." If Groton, or any other town, must accept the site, this plan is a signal to the winners who will continue to dump their garbage in the landfill, while avoiding the costs of having it in their backyard, that they will have to pay for the privilege by sharing the winners' benefits with the losers, says Ms Robinsion. Losers will no longer be "bought off" by token benefits. This is the beginning of a new era, says Ms Robinson, in which the winners in the landfill sweepstakes must equitably share their winnings to offset the loser's costs. - 4 - Tompkins County Landfill Siting GROTON BENEFIT -SHARING PLAN Teresa Robinson Supervisor Town of Groton With The Assistance Of Lyle S. Raymond Jr. Water Resources Institute Cornell Center for Environmental Research Cornell University, Ithaca, NY January 1987 WHY HAVE A BENEFIT -SHAKING PLAN? 1. Those who must live near the landfill site should not have to bear the full cost of its presence. 2. Those who do not have to live near the landfill will continue to dump their garbage in it. 3. The perceived costs of having a landfill in the neighborhood have been clearly described by opponents. Therefore 1. Substantial benefits will be gained by keeping the landfill out of the neighborhood, while keeping the right to use it for disposal of the neighborhood's garbage. 2. These benefits should be shared with the unfortunate folks who are compelled to have the landfill in their backyard. 3. They should also be shared with the Town where it is located, which must bear the impacts on future development potential. WHAT DOES THE BENEFIT -SHARING PLAN DO? 1. It mitigates nearby residents' fears about: 1. Water Pollution, 2. Littering, and 3. Property Values 2. It mitigates general impacts on the Town concerning: 1. Highway Maintenance Costs, 2. Operation of the Landfill, and 3. Impacts on Future Development - 2 - HOW WILL THE BENEFIT -SHARING PLAN WORK? 1. A special district will be created around the landfill site. 1. The district shall extend for one mile from the outer boundary of the landfill site property line. 2. It is estimated that in Groton this district may contain up to 30 or more homes and farms. 3. Special programs for water pollution monitoring, property tax reduction and buyout options will be applied to various portions of the special district. 2. All other benefits will apply to the Town as a whole, as specified in the Plan. - 3 - THE BENEFIT -SHARING PLAN 1. Private on -site water supply testing for selected pollutants: 1. Four times a year for an estimated ten homes and farms within one-half mile of the landfill property boundary: $10,600 per year. 2. Once a year for an estimated 20 homes and farms between one-half mile and one mile of the landfill property boundary: $5,300 per year. 3. Installation of outside water system taps to obtain water samples without the need to enter the home: $4,500, 1st year cost only. 2. On -site well supply information survey for up to 30 or more homes and farms within the special district: $15,000, 1st year cost only. 1. The survey shall include information on type of well and depth; age of well; well driller; types of soil and bedrock penetrated and their significance; well yield; locational characteristics, including known nearby potential pollution sources; and any other available information on the well site and the source of the water supplying the well. 3. Ten monitoring wells, located within the special district away from the influence of homes and farms: 1. Installation: $12,000, 1st year cost only. 2. Testing for selected pollutants three times a year: $7,950 per year. 3. Testing for priority pollutants, as defined by the New York State Department of Health, once a year: $25,000 per year. 4. The purpose of the monitoring wells is to provide: (1) Additional advance warning of groundwater pollution that may affect private wells, and (2) An indication of prevailing natural groundwater quality in the area, for comparison with tests results from private wells. 4. Surface Water Testing: 1. Testing once a year for selected pollutants for an estimated five streams and wetlands within two miles of the landfill property boundary: $1,325 per year. WM 5. Town Landfill Inspector: $20,000 per year, part-time. 1. The town inspector shall investigate, monitor and report on any aspect of the landfill operation that is of concern to Town officials or Town residents; this shall include identification of illegal wastes being deposited in the facility. 6. Roadside Cleanup and Grooming: $20,000 per year. (Estimated labor and equipment costs) 1. Roadside cleanup patrol within two miles of the landfill site at least once a week. 2. Additional roadside grooming to provide an esthetically pleasing roadside appearance. 7. Increased Highway Maintenance Costs: $45,000 per year. 1. Estimated 100% increase in maintenance costs on 10% of the Town road network. Increased cost estimate is therefore approximately 10% of the 1987 road maintenance budget for the Town of Groton, including machinery upkeep. 8. Water Supply Assistance Plan for Town Residents: $24,000 per year, beginning second year. 1. This shall be a part-time position, with office and supply support. 2. This program shall be conducted through the county Cooperative Extension office. It will assist private well owners with water supply problems, including contamination, water treatment devices and development of new water supplies. It shall also include educational assistance to town residents on water supply problems, including educational programs in the public schools. 9. Mitigation of intangible, or hidden costs to Town (principally development potential impacts): 1. First Year: $22,325. 2. Succeeding Years: $29,825. 10. Reduced property taxes: 1. Fifty percent reduction of property taxes within one-half mile of landfill site boundary: County 2. Twenty-five percent reduction of property taxes for property between one-half and one mile from the landfill site boundary: County. 3. Payments in lieu of taxes shall be made to the Town to make up for reductions in Town property tax. 11. Buyout option: County. 1. This shall be a voluntary program offered to residential property within one-half mile of the landfill site property boundary. Commercial property, including farms, will not be eligible. 2. Purchase price shall be at 150% of appraised pre -landfill market value for residential parcels. 3. Other land associated with a residential parcel shall be purchased at 100% of the appraised pre -landfill market value. 4. The 150% buyout price is based on the assumption that the sale, although voluntary, would not have taken place in the absence of the landfill site. - 6 - SUMMARY BENEFIT -SHARING PLAN TOWN OF GROTON (Benefits to be paid on an annual basis, unless otherwise noted) 1. Water Pollution Concerns A. Continuing Program Costs $507175 Private Well Testing, $15,900 Monitoring Well Testing, $32,950 Surface Water Testing, $1,325 B. First Year Only ($319500) Private Well Taps, $4,500 Private Well Survey, $15,000 Install Monitoring Wells, $12,000 2. Other Benefits • Town Inspector $20,000 Roadside Cleanup $209000 Highway Maintenance $45,000 Water Assistance Program $247000 Undesignated Benefits First year, ($22,325) Succeeding years $29,825 3. Reduced Property Tax County 4. Buyout Option County $189,000 - 7 - Additional Notations 1. The total benefits in this Plan are equivalent to about $2.70 per ton for 70,000 tons of garbage deposited in the the Tompkins County landfill annually. The actual benefit amounts were arrived at independently of this, however. 2. These benefits shall be adjusted at least once every three years according to the federal inflation index. 3. The benefits shall be increased if garbage from outside the county is accepted in the landfill. The actual amount of the increase shall be negotiated, but should not be less than the equivalent of $1.00 per ton for the out -of -county garbage. BASIS FOR COST ESTIMATES 1. Current water testing price list by a New York State certified laboratory. 2. water Resources Institute, Cornell Center for Environmental Research, Cornell University. 3. Information from other areas where benefit -sharing or similar programs are being used. 4. Town of Groton highway budget for 1987. 5. Estimates of current salary levels for various types of personnel stipulated in the Plan. 6. General assessment of costs cited for having a landfill in the neighborhood or Town, various sources.