Consideration and Adoption of Resolution No. 2022-26:  A Resolution of the City Council of the City of Flagstaff, Coconino County, Arizona, approving an intergovernmental agreement between the Arizona Board of Regents, for and on behalf of Northern Arizona University, and the City of Flagstaff for the processing of organic material produced within City limits at the University's processing facility. 

In October 2019, the City entered a Intergovernmental Agreement (IGA) with Northern Arizona University (NAU) to pilot composting municipal organic waste streams at NAU’s composting operation for one year. Then, in October 2020, the original agreement was renewed for an additional year by both parties.

Since the inception of the pilot, the City has delivered over 400,000 pounds of waste for composting. Most of this material comes from City parks, but staff plan to introduce other streams of organic material, including residential yard waste and commercial food scraps if the long-term agreement is approved.

With permission from the City Council, the composting pilot program will transition from a two-year pilot program to a five-year agreement, with the ability to extend the agreement for a total of ten years. 

Under the new agreement, the City will continue to deliver compostable material to NAU’s composting facility at no cost. As a result, the City is avoiding the costs to deliver the same material to the landfill. The transportation costs are also reduced, as the distance to the landfill is further than that to NAU.  

In support of the Rethink Waste Plan, this agreement allows the City to evaluate composting opportunities while avoiding the major infrastructure costs of starting a new organic waste processing facility. The results of this pilot will inform future investments in such infrastructure and programming.

These activities also support strategies identified in the Carbon Neutrality Plan targeting the greenhouse gas emissions from Flagstaff’s waste and consumption.  

Priority Based Budget Key Community Priorities and Objectives

Sustainable, innovative infrastructure – Utilize existing long-range plans that identify the community’s future infrastructure needs and all associated costs.

Environmental stewardship – Actively manage and protect all environmental and natural resources.

Carbon Neutrality Plan

Sustainable consumption and waste management

MM-1:	Manage emissions from the Cinder Lake Landfill.
MM-2:	Encourage sustainable consumption.
MM-3:	Divert more waste from the landfill.
MM-4:	Reduce organic waste going to the landfill and feed hungry people.

Regional Plan
Goal E&C.2. Reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

The NAU composting IGA was originally approved by Council in October 2019. An amendment to the original agreement was then passed in October 2020.