Legislature moves to complete 0-waste implementation plan; consultants and work-product disputes flagged

Committee members and agency staff told the Energy, Environment and Sustainability Committee on June 3 that the county's 0-waste implementation plan will move forward but that questions remain about ownership of earlier draft work and how to coordinate consultant efforts.

The legislature has allocated $10,000 to restart work on a plan that has been dormant for roughly six years; the committee said it will seek multiple bids to complete the document and asked UCRA to collaborate during the consultant process.

Why it matters: the 0-waste implementation plan is intended to translate aspirational language in the county's solid waste plan into concrete actions, funding needs and implementation steps. Several speakers warned that work now in the agency and materials assembled earlier by volunteers or a prior contractor must be reconciled before hiring a new consultant.

What committee members heard

- Funding and next steps: the committee chair said the legislature approved $10,000 to resume the study and to solicit three bids to finish the work. "It's back on track, and we believe that 1 upgrade could be mentioning Accra and the relationship that we have with Accra," the chair said.

- Consultant work-product concerns: Director Ryder cautioned that earlier volunteer-produced material and drafts created by a prior consultant may remain proprietary and cannot simply be picked up and finished by a new vendor without legal review. "I don't think you can take a consultant's work and finish it," Ryder said, noting questions about ownership and what additional work would be required.

- Need for coordination with UCRA and DEC process: Deputy Executive LaValle reminded the committee that the county's local solid waste management plan is accepted by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, and that any implementation document should converge with the formal local plan and UCRA operations.

Ending

Committee members agreed to seek additional consultant quotes and to coordinate more closely with UCRA so the implementation plan can be completed and made actionable; no formal consultant contract was awarded at the meeting.