Ulster County committee clears amended service-agreement language allowing up to $10 million bond for reuse center purchase

The Ulster County LegislatureEnergy, Environment & Sustainability Committee voted to approve amended language to the countyResource Recovery Agency (UCRRA) service agreement that preserves a $500,000 general bonding cap but permits bonds up to $10 million for purchase of a Reuse Innovation Center (RIC).

Committee members debated the change for more than two hours before adopting the amendment and then passing the resolution as amended. The vote followed objections from several legislators who said the amendment was distributed with little time for review; proponents said the specific exception was needed to enable a time-sensitive property purchase tied to a reuse and waste-diversion project.

Committee chair and members emphasized two practical points: the current UCRRA contract expires March 31, and without an amendment the agencysaid it could lose an opportunity to acquire a building identified as suitable for reuse and diversion programming. Director Ryder (UCRRA) told the committee the building is roughly a 30,000-square-foot structure with high ceilings and that the agency wanted to avoid having the project "frozen" by an expiring contract.

Legislator Collins, reading proposed language aloud, framed the change as a narrow, purpose-specific exception: "the agency shall not issue bonds in the amount of $500,000 or more other than for the purchase of the Reuse Innovation Center with a bond limit of $10,000,000." That formulation, and a later clarification that the higher limit apply only to the RIC purchase, helped secure support.

Opponents pressed procedural complaints and questioned whether increasing the cap generally (even if limited by language) was appropriate without fuller review by the full legislature. Legislator Litz said she had "not even 45" minutes to read the amendment before the vote and said she would vote no if the broader bonding change remained. Supporters said the committee could continue to refine language before the full-legislature session and that the amendment as adopted kept the larger bonding authority narrowly tied to the RIC purchase.

The committee ultimately adopted the Sixth Amendment language to the Solid Waste Service Agreement as presented and then approved the resolution as amended. The committee also heard that UCRRA expects the purchase process to include a 60- to 90-day due-diligence period if a purchase-and-sale agreement is signed.

The action allows UCRRA to pursue acquisition steps for a building the agency says is well-suited to reuse, repair and diversion work; the county and agency also discussed parallel funding options including a separate resolution under consideration for direct financial support.

The committee directed staff to circulate the finalized amendment language to all legislators before the full-legislature vote so members would have time to review and consider any additional adjustments.

Ending: The resolution (amendment to the service agreement) moves to the full legislature with the committee-backed, narrowly written exception allowing up to $10 million in bonding solely for purchase of the Reuse Innovation Center; committee members said they expect further review and possible additional edits before final adoption by the full body.