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Please
Note: This is an EHAT
proposal and has not yet been presented
to
or approved by the Board of Island
County Commissioners.
The
Opportunity Council and senior centers
in Island
County
distribute
low-income discount cards that provide
holders a 50% discount upon each
visit to
a solid waste facility over a one-year
period. This
discount is
applicable
to household waste from the
cardholder’s residence only, and is
not transferable.
Coupled
with improved marketing of the program,
EHAT proposes to raise
the
threshold of the program from the
current federal poverty level of 150%
to 200%,
thereby allowing more low-income households to dispose
of their
solid waste items through
the program.
EHAT used annual poverty guidelines and
census data to calculate the
number of
income-eligible households under each
threshold level, with the
assumption that
family size approximates household size.
For instance,
according
to the 2006 federal poverty
guidelines for 150%, a family
(household)
size of one earning $14,700 or less
a year would fall into the
total
household income range of $12,500 to
$14,999.
This equates to 1,890
one-person
households in
Island
County
(620 + 460 + 405 + 405),
according
to the available census data (CTPP,
1999).
|
Family
Size |
2006
Federal Poverty Guidelines |
|
|
120% |
133% |
150% |
170% |
175% |
185% |
190% |
200% |
|
|
1 |
11,760 |
13,034 |
14,700 |
16,660 |
17,150 |
18,130 |
18,620 |
19,600 |
|
|
2 |
15,840 |
17,556 |
19,800 |
22,440 |
23,100 |
24,420 |
25,080 |
26,400 |
|
|
3 |
19,920 |
22,078 |
24,900 |
28,220 |
29,050 |
30,710 |
31,540 |
33,200 |
|
|
4 |
24,000 |
26,600 |
30,000 |
34,000 |
35,000 |
37,000 |
38,000 |
40,000 |
|
Source:
Federal Register Vol. 71, Number 15, pp.
3843-3849, January 24, 2006
| HH
Size |
Household
Distribution based on Total
Household Income (1999) |
|
| <
$5,000 |
$5,000-
$9,999 |
$10,000-
$12,499 |
$12,500-
$14,999 |
$15,000-
$17,499 |
$17,500-
$19,999 |
$20,000-
$22,499 |
$22,500-
$24,999 |
$25,000-
$27,499 |
$27,500-
$29,999 |
$30,000-
$32,499 |
$32,500-
$34,999 |
$35,000-
$37,499 |
$37,500-
$39,999 |
$40,000-
$42,499 |
|
| 1 |
620 |
460 |
405 |
405 |
325 |
380 |
290 |
270 |
225 |
285 |
140 |
285 |
100 |
215 |
95 |
|
| 2 |
135 |
200 |
125 |
180 |
185 |
360 |
325 |
445 |
410 |
390 |
365 |
360 |
295 |
380 |
310 |
|
| 3 |
60 |
75 |
50 |
80 |
155 |
125 |
95 |
170 |
120 |
155 |
75 |
155 |
115 |
175 |
145 |
|
| 4+ |
75 |
50 |
70 |
85 |
55 |
115 |
150 |
225 |
200 |
175 |
225 |
245 |
215 |
195 |
185 |
|
| Total |
890 |
785 |
650 |
750 |
720 |
980 |
860 |
1110 |
955 |
1005 |
800 |
1050 |
725 |
965 |
740 |
Source:
Census Transportation Planning Package (CTPP),
1999
The
following
table shows the estimated number of
income-eligible
households for each household size and
the total number qualifying for
the
program at the 150% and 200% thresholds.
|
HH
size* |
Number
of Households |
|
|
150% |
200% |
|
|
1 |
1890 |
2595 |
|
|
2 |
1185 |
2365 |
|
|
3 |
810 |
1315 |
|
|
4 |
1425 |
2265 |
|
|
Total
qualifiers |
5310 |
8540 |
|
|
Total
users |
250
(actual) |
402
(est.) |
|
*Assumed HH size ~ Family Size.
If
the threshold increases to 200%, 8,540
households qualify for the solid
waste
voucher
program—a nearly 61% increase in
household eligibility over the current
program.
Nearly 130 households acquire a
dumping coupon from the
Opportunity
Council on an annual basis, with the
remainder coming from
other
locations.
Over the last three years, an
average of 250 discounts has been
used
yearly.
Therefore, of the households that
currently qualify for the program,
less
than 5% actually utilize the program.
Based on the current use of
the
program,
it is estimated that 402 households
would utilize the program if the
threshold
of the solid waste voucher program
increased to 200%.
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