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IRVINE: Yes, something needs to be done between wastewater, solid
<br />• waste and water.
<br />RAY: I've got a communication from Laurel Decker who was running
<br />Recycle Hawaii. I think she's gone now. And I asked her to get together with John
<br />because he's been serving on one of the committees with her, in regard to the
<br />possibility of creating either a new committee, or even a Commission, that would be
<br />involved. John, why don't you.
<br />SANTANGELO: Well, the whole thing with dealing with just the whole solid waste
<br />issue, and then dealing with wastewater, and I agree that some other department, but
<br />the scope of the discussion with Laurel had nothing to do with the department. But it
<br />did deal with a committee that could very easily be a Commission, and the reason for
<br />the Commission would be like an Environmental Commission, or a Waste Stream
<br />Commission, but it would deal with setting fees, in terms of if we ever had pay -as -you -
<br />throw for solid waste, who would set that fee. For sewers, who sets that fee. And we
<br />found that in the instances of setting fees for this, and the political process, it's been
<br />almost impossible because, again, like in sewers, where the Federal Government's
<br />mandated it be self sufficient, and yet, because one Council or two Council members
<br />represent those districts, and everybody else doesn't. So, it was an idea of could a
<br />Commission be formed that deals with our waste stream, and would set fees in
<br />anything that came along that required fees, and also, work, then, as the fee structures,
<br />as the anchor, that they would be involved in advising the County and the Council on
<br />matters of environmental issues, and help focus attention, and be that public arm, that
<br />helps focus attention on specific issues and problems in terms of alternatives in
<br />rubbish, or in terms of littering, in terms of recycling. And, just be that, kind of, public
<br />liaison in dealing with predominantly solid waste, but also our wastewater. And my
<br />advice was to look at it as a Commission because as a committee, we really do abuse
<br />committees, and they really don't need to be listened to, but if the Commission was
<br />able to take on the fee structure, then the Department of Public Works would be then
<br />forced, in a lot of ways, to work with the committee side of it in terms of the advisory
<br />side because they would have to be involved in getting information for the fees. They'd
<br />have an agenda that they'd want to get cooperation from this Commission. It would
<br />be, again, appointed by the Mayor, approved by the County Council, in the same
<br />format as everything else. But it would be like an Environmental Commission.
<br />RAY: Sue.
<br />IRVINE: I attended some of these hearings that Recycle Hawaii had, and 1
<br />know they're really big on charging us to dump our garbage. I don't think that they were
<br />really listening to the people at that hearing, who were saying, if you start charging us,
<br />we're going to throw it in the gullies, and to set up a Commission, if it's just to set fees
<br />because our politicians don't want to, I think is not realistic. I think the Commission
<br />should be advisory on environmental matters like how are we really going to solve
<br />solid waste and, maybe, wastewater.
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