2018-06-27 Meeting Minutes (EMC)

Home

using the term “waste reduction” should be user, as it is broader. She asked for the director’s thoughts. Director Kucharski said he essentially is hearing that any contracts that are entered into by DEM should have an education component as part of that contract. Contracts are only entered into with outside entities, so it may be redundant to have “outside organizations” in the motion. He believes the motion has a solid point and would be a good step. Vice Chair Olson questioned whether they were in discussion, and Chair Bennett said he thought an amended motion had been made. He asked Commissioner Osborne to restate her amended motion. Discussion was held back and forth on how the motion should be worded and what it should contain. Amended motion and second: Commissioner Osborne moved that any contracts entered into with DEM contain a percentage of the contract dedicated to education and outreach component for waste reduction. Commissioner Gaffney seconded the motion. Vice Chair Olson said he thought the component already existed, but setting a minimum would be an appropriate thing. There’s a problem with so many moving parts, and the cost of achieving a meaningful outcome becomes tricky. If it is cast into stone, then even the best intentioned may not be able to achieve the outcome being sought, but it would be better than nothing. He would like to see it move forward, but perhaps later it could be defined better by the scope of what the agency is capable of doing and setting some other goals. Director Kucharski said he was running numbers in his head, and if they set it at 1%, it would be $1,000 for a $100,000 contract. You would not get a whole lot of education for that. If the amount is set too high, it would bump the budget up by that amount. Some contracts, such as those for recycling and composting, have a much more important education aspect. If DEM gets into a true litter program, the education necessary will be significantly higher than on compost. He believes it will allow for more flexibility if it has to be contained in every proposal and every bid. If it is a fixed amount, it will be difficult to go above that. Chair Bennett said there may be some value to build into the motion a request that as RFPs are being developed, the education component come back to the commission for advice. If it would have a significant public involvement, the EMC could say it needs to be more significant. Commissioner Osborne that may cause the EMC to overstep their role as commissioners, which does not include day-to-day management. She asked Director Kucharski to speak to that.