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The Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors once more voted to delay a compulsory disposable cup payment, citing the COVID-19 pandemic. (Dan Coyro – Santa Cruz Sentinel file)
SANTA CRUZ — The Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday accredited in idea an modification to the county code that delays the implementation of a payment for disposable cups.
Due to the board’s unanimous resolution, a compulsory cost won't be collected till July 1 of this yr. Closing adoption is scheduled for Jan. 25.
Deputy County Administrative Officer Matt Machado listed the continued COVID-19 pandemic as cause to delay the cost in his workers report on the merchandise. Ready to handle the results of single-use cups, Machado argued, would relieve a brand new burden on native companies and shield the general public’s well being.
“Many companies have born hardships and made substantial adjustments to their working procedures to maintain staff and their clients secure,” Machado wrote.
This isn't the primary time the cup cost has been delayed due to the virus. In June 2020, on the eve of the execution of a proposed 25-cent cost, supervisors accredited a year-long delay. On the time, it was estimated the county may increase $2.8 million yearly relying on what number of residents dedicated to bringing their very own reusable cups. Most not too long ago, the estimate has dropped to $2.3 million yearly if 25% of Santa Cruzans introduced their very own cups.
Not less than a part of that funding, the supervisors voiced, ought to go towards environmental packages. They directed workers to return with a poll measure to certify that concept by 2022.
Then, in Could 2021, the payment was delayed once more, with Machado citing the well being disaster. The subject of a poll measure reemerged, with Supervisor Zach Good friend providing that a diversion from single-use merchandise could be much more highly effective because the arrival of COVID-19.
“I believe there’s a capability right here … for much-needed environmental packages particularly with the extra waste we’ve seen from single-use merchandise,” Good friend stated on the time. “It actually exploded throughout this pandemic.”
The board’s new chair Manu Koenig, voted in earlier within the assembly to serve with Good friend at his proper hand, voiced concern over the continued delays when the time for supervisorial dialogue arrived.
“I see no cause why the pandemic could be considerably completely different in July of this yr. We will solely count on extra variants to emerge,” Koenig stated. “There are completely methods to deal with non-disposable or reusable cups in a means that's secure and efficient. I see no sensible cause to delay this additional.”
Good friend, the maker of the movement to take heed to workers’s suggestions and wait till the summer time to cost for cups, provided his chair a perspective based mostly on conversations with workers of the Division of Public Works.
“I share your issues,” Good friend stated. “There was an environmental cause why we did this and that environmental cause nonetheless stands no matter COVID. I additionally consider, and have really have full religion in Public Works, that they're supportive of this and that this would be the ultimate delay.”
On the situation of the delay being the final one, Koenig in the end voted in help.
In accordance with the code across the change, when it does go into impact, the county should conduct an outreach interval to companies to guarantee that all stakeholders are conscious of the implementation. Earlier workers studies on the topic present that tons of of companies have engaged in dialog round a compulsory disposable cup cost since 2019.
“The board, as , has been having discussions with the broader neighborhood and the enterprise neighborhood in guaranteeing (how) charges could possibly be cut up between companies and environmental packages throughout the county. As we proceed to permit the exploration of that, it’s affordable to have the timelines harmonize as effectively,” Good friend stated.