NORTH PORT, Fla. — North Port commissioners directed city staff to move forward on a multi-million dollar infrastructure narrowly rejected by voters during a May referendum.
On Thursday, commissioners unanimously directed city staff to explore options for a waste transfer station that could help North Port save millions of dollars. The city discussed plans for a transfer station since 2012, Frank Lama, solid waste manager said.
WATCH: North Port city commissioners debate how to move forward on waste transfer station:
The station would be a drop-off point for trash, but not a landfill. Right now, North Port garbage trucks must haul trash to the Sarasota County landfill in Nokomis, Lama said.
"We're wasting a lot of time," Lama said. "It's very inefficient."
Round trip, the drive to Nokomis can take two-and-a-half hours, Lama said, with drivers waiting in line at the dump. This leads to higher operating costs, with increased overtime pay and truck maintenance.
So far this year, North Port paid garbage drivers more than $100,000 in overtime just because of trips to the dump, Lama said.
If approved, the roughly 16,000 square foot transfer station would be located on the east side of town, where Raintree Boulevard turns into Yorkshire Street, Lama said.
Instead of driving to Nokomis, garbage trucks would drop off trash there. Semi-trucks driven by city staff would then haul trash to the county dump, Lama said, keeping garbage trucks in town.
"That's where we're going to save money," Lama said. "That's where you save the overtime, that's where you save, less people on the road, less trucks on the road."
The Public Works department estimates North Port could save $13 million over five years between salary, fuel, and maintenance. That number is calculated between 2025 and 2030. However, the project is years away construction, or even approval.
'Are we being tone deaf?'
During a budget workshop on Thursday, commissioners weighed how - or if - to move forward with the project after voters rejected bonds for the transfer station during a May special election.
Voters rejected all five ballot initiatives posed by the city in a low-turnout election. 11,516 voters - or 18.87% of the city's registered voters - cast ballots, according to Sarasota County's supervisor of elections.
Voters also rejected bonds for a new police department headquarters and state-mandated upgrades to the city's wastewater treatment plant. Some voters told FOX 4 they oppose additional spending, and don't have faith in city leadership. North Port is the only city in Florida that can't take on debt without voter approval.
Voters rejected North Port's bid to use general obligation bonds to fund a waste transfer station. 5,946 voters (52.29%) opposed the measure, while 5,426 (47.71%) voted for it.
General obligation bonds are commonly used by local governments to fund public projects. The bonds are guaranteed by the city's credit and taxing power, as opposed to project revenues. Lama said the transfer station would essentially pay for itself.
On Thursday, Public Works Director Chuck Speake presented commissioners with options to fund the transfer station. City Manager Jerome Fletcher said staff recommend a one-time fee assessed to property owners.
Under the proposal, residential units would be charged $160, while commercial units would be charged $300. The fee would be issued in 2027.
Staff said it could also be spread over two years. Speake said this fee is the most cost-effective option, bringing the project to just over $11 million.
North Port could also pay for a transfer station with certificate of participation (COPs) bonds, Speake said, which would be slightly more expensive. COPs bonds don't need voter approval, but can be challenged in court. With interest rates, the cost of the project would balloon to between $27 million and $31 million, according to Speake's presentation.
The third option is a public-private partnership, which commissioners rejected. Under this agreement, a private company would put up the money and build the project.
However, the development company would also own the facility. North Port would have to pay a lease over several decades until it took control of the land. Under this option, the transfer station would cost between $27 million and $44 million.
Commissioners said they support the waste transfer project, but questioned the best way to pay for it. Ultimately, commissioners directed city staff to look into both a one-time fee and COPs bond.
Mayor Phil Stokes said the transfer station is an "absolutely sensible project" but questioned whether now is the time to pursue it. Just last week, commissioners voted to increase solid waste, fire rescue, and road and drainage fees.
"Are we being tone deaf?" Stokes said. "Are we saying, 'hey, we think this project should be done, it makes sense to us, so we're gonna go ahead and do it and you know what, we're going to asses you.' "
Stokes asked whether the transfer station is a 'want' or a 'need' for the city, prompting discussion among commissioners and City Manager Jerome Fletcher.
"It is a want, it is not a need," Fletcher said. "We can continue doing the same thing that we're doing now, but it's going to cost us [the city] more money."
"So that's where that choice and that fork in the road bends," Fletcher said. "Are you going to be efficient, or are you going to be empathetic?"
Stokes said it doesn't seem fair that current property owners would have to pay a one-time fee that benefits future residents. Vice-Mayor Pete Emrich agreed, but pointed out that voters limited commissioners options after they rejected general obligation bonds for the project.
Emrich suggested commissioners could freeze solid waste rates for two years after the fee. That could be a way to pay back property owners, Emrich said. But Speake, the Public Works director, said the department will have operational cost increases every year.
Emrich acknowledged that and said the transfer station is both a want and a need for the city.
"We want to be able to save money. We want to be able to be fiscally responsible," Emrich said. "As a board, we need to do that as well."
