The Orange County Commission is seeking to force rural county property owners to pay a tax for curbside recycling — whether property owners choose to recycle or not. The county will be holding public hearings about creating a special tax district to impose the tax. The county estimates that nearly 36,000 people in the rural area will be impacted — the very people whose more fiscally conservative views are not represented by the Leftist commissioners.

From the county document come the details. Notice the hubris demonstrated by the county’s bureaucrats who have deemed that ” it is believed that the majority of property owners within the proposed district would have the ability to sustain the new district taxes.” Really? And exactly how do they know that?

The anticipated tax rate of 1.5 cents is equal to $ 37.50 for a residence with a value of
$250,000. The recently eliminated Rural 3?R fee for FY?12/13 was $38 per residential
unit; 12,547 parcels that received that fee. Therefore, about 60% the 20,545
residential properties included in the proposed district were already paying a similar
fee.

Based on the median family income of the proposed district zip code areas and the
comparability of the proposed tax rate of the previously paid recycling fee, it is
believed that the majority of property owners within the proposed district would have
the ability to sustain the new district taxes.

e. Current preliminary estimates of revenue generated to finance the recycling services
are $630,000. It is intended that the proposed recycling services be fully funded
through the service district.

3) The following summarizes the plan for providing recycling services within the district:
The bi?weekly (every other week) recyclables collection service for the proposed district will
be provided by Orange County staff and equipment as is the current service. Roll carts and/or
recycling bins will be distributed to all residences within the district, and those few smaller
commercial establishments that generate residential quantities of recyclables, in two phases
over the next approximately 18?20 months. The service is envisioned to be provided as a
combination of automated with roll carts, semi?automated with roll carts or manual with
recycling bins depending on specific service situations. Special services for the elderly or
handicapped will continue to be provided. While the district tax would not be voluntary,
participation in the recycling program is not mandatory.