By VICKI URBANIK

Curbside recycling is coming to the unincorporated parts of Porter County early next year.

Nearly settling an issue under discussion for several years, the Porter County Commissioners gave first reading approval Tuesday to an ordinance requiring all waste haulers that do business in Porter County to offer curbside recycling, beginning in February.

“We have had a number of requests for this kind of service,” said Commissioner President Dave Burrus.

North Porter County Commissioner John Evans added that many cities and towns provide curbside recycling and that in the long run, recycling in the unincorporated areas will reduce the waste going to landfills.

“This is something the people have said they wanted,” he said.

One of those is Laura Burke of Westchester Township, who was on hand at the commissioners’ meeting Tuesday. She said she came to show support for the new ordinance as well as issue a plea that the recycled materials don’t end up getting mixed in with the regular trash.

“My main concern is that recycling is done correctly with separate trucks and separate pick-up times,” she said. Otherwise, she said residents might end up paying more for a service that isn’t even provided if recyclables are allowed to co-mingle with regular trash.

Porter County Solid Waste District Director Therese Davis said calculations show that with a 57 percent participation rate among unincorporated households, the county would save 3.7 million pounds of material yearly from being sent to landfills.

The commissioners’ approval of the ordinance Tuesday just about lays to rest an issue that they’ve been dealing with for much of this year. The solid waste board approved a recycling ordinance in April at the commissioners’ urging, but final action was delayed after some waste haulers protested the initial July start-up date. The solid waste board then revised the ordinance to take effect in February, giving waste haulers more time to make the arrangements needed to offer the service.

Participation in the curbside recycling program will be entirely optional, but those who do not recycle will not get a discount in their waste collection bills, under the ordinance.

Housing Study

In yet another long-standing issue, the commissioners formally accepted a $30,000 grant that’s been awarded for a housing needs assessment study of Porter County.

Carolyn Shook, executive director of Housing Opportunities Inc. and a representative of the Coalition for Affordable Housing, said the study will identify the housing needs in Porter County and the populations with unmet needs.

The study, to be done by the Indiana Coalition of Housing and Homelessness, is expected to take one year. The results are expected to be used by social service agencies, planning officials, developers and programs like Rebuilding Together.

The housing study was first announced in April of 2002, and in September of last year, the commissioners endorsed the project. Though no county funds are being used, the commissioners must still give their formal support.

Bio Terrorism

The commissioners also accepted a $50,000 grant, to be funded through the federal Homeland Security department, that will be used to hire a county bioterrorist coordinator through the Porter County Health Department.

The county council has already approved the post, though the council stipulated that the position be filled on a contractual basis so that the county won’t have to pay health benefits.

Nursing Supervisor Connie Rudd said it’s still undecided if the coordinator will use an existing office at the health department or if she will work out of another office, such as the Porter County Alcohol and Drug Offender Service, which is now being run by the non-profit Prisoners and Community Together.

Printer Purchase

The commissioners agreed to purchase a $14,000 printer to print all of county government’s envelopes.

County officials recently had to use an outside printer to print up the tax bill envelopes after its in-house printer broke down.

Sharon Lippens, director of the county’s Information and Technology Services, asked the commissioners for approval to enter into a five-year lease, paying about $4,500 per year. But the commissioners calculated that the county would save considerably by buying the printer outright. Though Lippens said she doesn’t have money in her budget for such a purchase, the commissioners pledged to take the funds out of their cumulative capital development fund.

Since the old printer broke down, Lippens said envelope printing jobs have been largely put on hold in county government. She estimated that the county prints about 25,000 envelopes per month.

Posted 8/4/2004