Wash. County adopts solid waste fees

Published by admin on Wed, 07/10/2024 - 7:00pm
By: 
Philip A. Janquart
Washington County commissioners recently passed resolution 24-03, which increases solid waste and law enforcement towing fees.
 Road and Bridge and Solid Waste Supervisor Jerod Odoms discussed the issue during the commissioners’ weekly meeting on Monday, June 24. The discussion was followed by a public hearing on the matter, though no comments were made by the public.
 Since the matter was not listed as an action item on the agenda, commissioners put their decision on hold until their next regular meeting, which was held July 1.
 The new fee schedule includes an increase in towing fees, from $250 to $350.
 Washington County Sheriff Matt Thomas noted that the increase is for the removal of vehicles following arrests, adding that costs are going up for towing companies.
 “We put that towing order in place in 2014 … so it’s been 10 years since we increased and some of the tow operators said we need to increase because, of course, their costs have gone up. [The] $250 is not covering their cost, so that’s the main reason.”
 Most solid waste users will see fees go from the current $68 annual fee to $102.  
 Apartment complexes (per housing unit) will go from $56 to $86; motels (per housing unit), $42 to $63; and circuit breaker, $50 to $75.
 Odoms said 2021 was the last time fees were increased.
 All the trash collected in Washington County goes to the Weiser transfer station and is then trucked to the Clay Peak landfill in Payette.
 “The reason for such a drastic increase is, for the largest reason, Clay Peak is increasing their costs to our current contract per ton,” he explained during the June 26 meeting. “We are currently at $20. They are going to increase it to $25. We have been over that as far as tonnage brought to our facility, and then taken out. So, we have been overextending our budget a little bit each and every year. Now, with the increase coming from Clay Peak … this (fee increase to users) will be something we have to do.”
 He added that part of his plan to reduce the growing stream coming into the Weiser transfer station is to bring in more help.
 “I want the public to understand that this (the increase) is helping to offset the cost of an employee and a half because part of our responsibility is to reduce the stream going to Clay Peak, which is something I am anticipating we are going to receive in writing in the next few years. They are going to want to see a percentage of reduction … we can actually start that now. We can start making better use of our facilities if we have the employees to do it.”
 Odoms said the least expensive and immediate way to reduce the stream is to have employees sort through material coming in, separating items that are in good shape, reusable, or belong in a recycle pile.
 “We can actually pull those from the stream, take them out of what is going to Clay Peak, and put them somewhere else,” he said. “We also receive the revenue from the metal that is brought in, so that comes back.”
 Odoms noted that he has seen a significant increase in construction material coming to the transfer station, which takes up a lot of space within trucks heading to Clay Peak. The increase is due to growth in the area.
 “If we didn’t have the construction material in there, or we reduced how much comes in by sorting ahead of time, that gives us more room for trash, which makes our trips more efficient.”
 The construction materials coming in include things like OSB (oriented strand board), plywood, 2x4s, insulation, roofing materials, carpet, and more.
 Commission Chairman Lyndon Haines asked whether construction materials also add wear and tear to the county’s trucks.
 “Yes, it’s very damaging,” Odoms replied. “That’s why we have a rule that it’s supposed to be six feet or less because if they are too long, they will actually puncture the aluminum sides and cause damage. Then you have safety concerns.”
 Commissioner Nate Marvin asked whether there are any efforts at the state or federal level to revive recycling programs. 
 Weiser discontinued its recycling program about five years ago.
 “The Idaho Association of Solid Waste is actually working on that,” Odoms said. “We’ve been trying to set up group contracts in the northwest to get a better price for that kind of material.”
 He added, “Right now, cardboard is still cost effective, so one of my short-term plans is to … pull clean cardboard out of the stream; we would just need to invest in a bailer unit. We could bail that, store it, and recycle it, then receive the revenue from it. That’s low-hanging fruit for us.”
 Odoms said he would like to have a solid recycling program within the next five years while exploring a long-term goal that would involve a regional landfill. He added, however, that the process takes about 10 years and comes with a $10 million price to permit and open.
 “Is it feasible? I think it is,” he said. “I think it’s something we do need to look at, but the cost is something we need to be sure we are able to swallow.”
 Haines asked about an incinerator that would burn certain materials, but was told that the population would need to be about 100,000 to make it work. Odoms said he is looking at drawing in other counties to reach that number.
 Commissioner Gordon Wilkerson added, “It’s something to look at, but we aren’t going to fix that tomorrow.”

 

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18 E. Idaho St.
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