Trustees consider one‑time reimbursement grants from bag‑fee fund for event waste diversion

Carbondale staff proposed using part of the town’s bag‑fee fund to seed a short, repay‑as‑submitted reimbursement program for local nonprofits and event organizers that pay for composting and other waste‑diversion services.

Town staffer Lauren told trustees that the bag‑fee fund showed a one‑time 2023 spike she could not fully explain and warned that current annual bag‑fee revenue is unlikely to sustain a permanent large grant program. “We just don’t anticipate that [the 2023 spike] is going to happen again,” Lauren said, and recommended structuring any reimbursement program as a limited, one‑ to three‑year seed program or as a single‑year application window covering prior 12 months of expenses.

Why it matters: Several community event organizers and nonprofits face rising costs for composting and recycling services as private haulers move from pro‑bono support toward paid services. Trustees flagged the program as a way to help seed long‑term waste diversion at town events while protecting the bag‑fee fund balance.

Program details discussed: Staff suggested a simple reimbursement model — groups submit eligible receipts and the town reimburses a portion (for example, 50%). Lauren and Trustee Erica emphasized the need for clear eligibility rules (who may apply, whether groups already receiving other town grants can apply, what costs qualify) and a single application window to avoid an early depletion of funds. Lauren said an illustrative budget of $20,000 would likely fund a one‑ to three‑year program at recent cost levels but that staff would advise maintaining a reserve in the bag fund for core services (spring cleanup, hazardous waste and e‑waste events).

Trustees and presenters also raised implementation issues: verifying that reimbursed purchases actually supported composting or recycling, handling the cost of grid‑scale constraints raised by developers when adding on‑site solar, and whether the Environmental Board should vet the program. Trustee Christina and others suggested using some funds for infrastructure (additional public recycling bins) or for events such as community compost drop‑off days as alternatives to direct reimbursements.

Next steps: Trustees asked staff to bring the proposal to the town’s environmental board for feedback, to check operational details (for example, how to verify composting outcomes) and to return with a clear application form and budget recommendation for the board to approve at a future meeting.