By JIM GENARO

County residents will soon see an increase in their trash collection fees, as the Buncombe County Board of Commissioners unanimously approved a 50-cent increase in collection fees Aug. 21.

The request for an increase was made by John OíNeal, general manager of GDS Inc. GDS is contracted by the county to provide trash and recycling pickup for those residents who live outside incorporated areas and wish to pay for the service.

The company has about 23,300 customers in Buncombe County OíNeal said.
Under the terms of its contract, GDS can request a rate increase from the board once per year.

OíNeal noted that the company had not requested an increase last year and that rising costs associated with fuel prices, insurance increases and loss of customers because of annexations by Asheville and Woodfin necessitated the requested rate hike. The increased rate would go into effect Dec. 1, Assistant County Manager Jon Creighton said.

OíNeal added that the new rate of $14 per month is still lower than many surrounding counties. Henderson County, he said, charges $20 per month and Catawba County charges $16.20.

He also discussed the companyís recycling program, in which any kind of recyclable waste can be thrown into blue bags that are collected by the same truck.

Chairman Nathan Ramsey said that many people think the recyclables are simply being thrown into the trash because they go into the same truck.

ìWeíre doing everything we can to stop thatî perception, OíNeal assured him.

OíNeal said that GDS has established a recycling program at county schools in an effort to ìeducate the children on whatís good ó and hopefully bring those benefits home.î

During the public-comment portion of the meeting, Jerry Rice complained that people who live outside the county often take their garbage to the Buncombe County landfill.

ìThe taxpayers of Buncombe County donít need to be footing the bill for them,î he said.

The meeting took on a heated note after Rice repeatedly asked the board what steps, if any, were being taken to prevent outsiders from using the dump.

When Ramsey replied that† he would answer after the public comments were heard, Rice replied,
ìYíuns can make some kind of political statement that makes me look dumb, but Iíll be back next week to make you look stupid.î

Creighton replied that anyone using the county landfill has to show identification proving they are county residents. OíNeal also assured Rice that inspectors were on-site, though he added, ìWeíre not looking for envelopes from Brevard, or whatever. Weíre looking for toxic waste and stuff like that.î

Following the vote to approve the fee increase, Commissioner David Young proposed that the board add recycling awareness to its upcoming retreat session.

Commissioner David Gantt agreed, saying, ìI think people are way ahead of us on this (issue). They want to recycle and we just have to provide the tools to do that.î

In other action, the board heard a presentation by Creighton about affordable housing.

Creighton urged the board to develop a plan to help subsidize sewer-connection costs for developers who want to build affordable housing in areas not currently served by the Metropolitan Sewerage District.

He noted that the areas where land is cheapest ó and therefore most conducive to building affordable housing ó are often not connected to utilities.

ìThis is the number-one issue in Buncombe County ó to be able to find affordable housing for our working people,î Creighton told the board.

Young expressed concern that if the county subsidizes such developments, homeowners could turn around in a few years and sell their properties for much higher rates.

One solution to this, Creighton said, is a ìsoft mortgage,î which includes a subsidy that must be compensated if the owner sells the property within a certain number of years.

Resident Jeff Turner contested the definition of affordable housing being used. He said that as a disabled veteran, he takes in only about $500 a month in income. At that rate, home ownership ó even at the prices considered affordable housing ó is impossible for him, he added.

ìYouíve got a long way to go for affordable housing, because not everyoneís making 36 to 40 thousand dollars a year,î Turner told the board.

The board took no action, but agreed to discuss the matter further in coming weeks.