[{"_1":2,"_99":-5,"_100":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75,87],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6547559,"mediaKeyId","3518465-a48e3ddede49b27e64e009926ecc0f17","parentId",3518465,"title","Wicomico County work session backs plan to raise landfill tipping fee in stages, outlines steps to fund Cell 7","audioSeconds",2657,"startMs",1236000,"endMs",3893000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=3518465-a48e3ddede49b27e64e009926ecc0f17&start=1236&end=3893","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3518465-a48e3ddede49b27e64e009926ecc0f17/thumbnail_1236000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6547559/Wicomico-County/Maryland/Wicomico-County-work-session-backs-plan-to-raise-landfill-tipping-fee-in-stages-outlines-steps-to-fund-Cell-7","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6547559-75b2fbe9215934f433e7521b3815a532/orig.mp4?Expires=1775631330&Signature=g1l1eintWzoihBRy0D5A58VnO2Y2rnFAox5AouzZy05e4ut-mkKLsRWcNuD7fiKJxQmLfukG-9vmV7uGncWfTPYn-ZKYHXV2g6ra3YB242Ygscp3E5jyRlAfRLtovBP-IQxAA27XOdTiexuWN8c8GUpnu4icac-QsePjEH~9J72rJ6eYLEh7pQyUE6GAzj13Bcp5FqaLqNIRUdk3j-V7syaY9F06TWOu7UJvPDsl9WMT9RB-SQAKPZN-5YKREj4s6KjYeVGt~ceo-SxnZTArNbA0DrzCw0h6tzIfnfxCGxOp~XCZinzGJRG~TsZU7Bb22BanRHPhRy28FyRp8e~Ojg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Wicomico County, MD","date","2025-05-22T00:00:00Z","article","Wicomico County officials at a May 22 work session directed staff to prepare a resolution to raise the county landfill tipping fee to $84 per ton effective July 1 and to $88 per ton on Jan. 1, 2026, and outlined steps to fund design and construction for a new cell (Cell 7).

County finance staff, landfill managers and council members spent the bulk of the meeting evaluating landfill operations, projected revenues and a shortfall of disposal capacity. County staff said continuing current rates would produce an operating loss; raising the fee to $84 in July and then to $88 in January would produce an estimated modest net profit of about $170,000 under the assumptions presented to council, while a single increase to $88 in January was modeled to produce a projected loss of approximately $276,000 for the next fiscal year.

The county’s environmental services director described plans to pursue design and state funding for a pump-station project to discharge landfill leachate into the Salisbury sewer system and called for forward-funding engineering fees that must be paid before state reimbursements are available. Staff said the FY26 budget includes a forward-funded design and permitting budget of $850,000 for the multi-year West Side Regional/Parsonsburg-Pittsville sanitary projects and small sewer extension work, with ongoing annual CIP amounts reduced after the design phase.

Why it matters: the county is operating near capacity. Staff reported current estimates that, at current disposal volumes, available landfill capacity could be exhausted in March or April next year and that the new cell will not be open until August. Without additional space, county officials warned of constrained operations and higher costs if trash must be transferred out of county.

Most of the work-session discussion centered on three topics: (1) near-term revenue policy to reduce incoming volume and build capital for Cell 7, (2) capital and operating costs tied to construction of Cell 7 and adjacent cells, and (3) operational changes and contingency options to reduce flow into the Wicomico facility.

Key details and staff direction

- Tipping-fee schedule: Staff recommended and council asked staff to prepare a resolution to adopt $84 per ton starting July 1, 2025, and $88 per ton on Jan. 1, 2026, to begin rebuilding a small operating margin and fund capital costs tied to Cell 7 design and construction.

- Capacity and schedule: Staff said current forecasts show the landfill could run out of permitted disposal space in March–April 2026 if volumes continue at recent rates; construction of Cell 7 is expected to be complete in August 2026 on the current schedule, leaving a risk window. That schedule depends on permitting and weather.

- Funding and grants: County staff explained that engineering and permitting (design phase) must be forward-funded even when construction is expected to be supported by state grants and loans such as the State Revolving Fund (SRF) and Bay Restoration Fund reimbursements. Staff also noted they are exploring congressional direct spending (earmarks) as a possible funding source but cautioned award timing and availability are uncertain.

- Operational and capital needs: The landfill budget request includes: additional consultants and PFAS-related testing requirements (consultant budget rising from $200,000 to $400,000), a diesel fuel tank to allow purchase of dyed off-road diesel, a new tarpomatic to reduce daily soil cover use, and replacement/maintenance of compactors. Staff said the current tarpomatic may soon fail and that increasing use of alternative cover (tarp) preserves disposal space.

- Demand management options: Staff and council discussed deterrent strategies to reduce out-of-county loads, including staged fee increases to encourage haulers to use home-county landfills, differential credits for waste demonstrably generated inside Wicomico County, scheduling constraints (restricted hauler days), and possible GPS-based enforcement or voucher/credit programs. Legal counsel and staff said the county’s code currently does not prohibit acceptance of out-of-county waste and any geographic restrictions would require legal review.

- Contingency planning: Council and staff discussed short-term operational options if space becomes critical, such as restricting commercial dumping, limiting convenience-center access, or scheduling hauler access. Staff warned these are worst-case options and emphasized the county does not want to stop accepting household waste.

- Cost/benefit for haulers: Staff described how commercial haulers operate on fixed-route economics; small per-ton changes at Wicomico’s gate sometimes do not change routes, but larger increases (e.g., $88 vs. $80) are more likely to cause haulers to alter routes and destinations. Staff and council noted neighboring counties’ rates (Worcester County at $80 per ton, Dorchester cited at ~$82.83) when weighing deterrence vs. fairness to local contractors.

Quotes

\"At $84 then $88 we are going to make a tiny profit of about a hundred and $70,000,\" Pamela Olin, finance director, said when describing staff modeling of phased increases. \"If we do $88 in January just on a financial basis means that we're going to lose ... $276,000 for next fiscal year.\"

\"We are talking about the SRF application processes, the consulting, the design work, and all that before you get to construction,\" Adam Corey, executive director of environmental services, said of the Parsonsburg/Pittsville/West Side regional projects.

Follow-up actions and council direction

- Staff was directed to prepare a resolution to set the tipping fee at $84 (July 1, 2025) and $88 (Jan. 1, 2026) and to prepare any required budget impact documentation so the council can consider the formal action at a legislative session.

- Staff was directed to continue pursuing SRF and Bay Restoration Fund reimbursement, explore congressional direct-spending opportunities, and identify any forward-funding needs that must be covered in FY26.

- Staff was asked to return with additional detail on proposed credits/administrative mechanisms (for example, credits for waste demonstrably generated in Wicomico County), contingency plans for near-term capacity shortages, and vendor/hauler engagement options.

Community and fiscal impacts

- Impact groups: commercial haulers, municipal collection contracts, residents who pay waste collection fees, and surrounding counties’ landfills.

- Budgetary note: Staff estimated the phased increase to produce a small operating margin; precise impacts depend on haul volumes, hauler behavior, and whether contingency measures are enacted.

- Implementation risk: High if Cell 7 permitting or construction is delayed; near-term capacity limits create immediate operational risk.

Provenance

- topicintro: excerpt beginning when landfill tipping-fee and solid waste finances are first discussed (transcript time ~1236.47): \"And $88 in January just on a financial basis means that we're gonna lose...\"
- topfinish: final related remarks and direction to prepare a resolution (transcript time ~3973.915): \"80 4 80 8 is what I will prepare it at at the moment. Yeah.\"","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Wicomico County Budget Session May 22nd, 2025","oneSentenceSummary","Wicomico County officials at a May 22 work session directed staff to prepare a resolution to raise the county landfill tipping fee to $84 per ton effective July 1 and to $88 per ton on Jan. 1, 2026, and outlined steps to fund design and construction for a new cell (Cell 7).","taxTitle","Wicomico County, Maryland","taxId",4258,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6547550,"Council asked to decide whether to continue countywide EMS planning; staff says hiring EMS coordinator is next step",257,4072000,4329000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3518465-a48e3ddede49b27e64e009926ecc0f17&start=4072&end=4329","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3518465-a48e3ddede49b27e64e009926ecc0f17/thumbnail_4072000.jpg","/articles/6547550/Wicomico-County/Maryland/Council-asked-to-decide-whether-to-continue-countywide-EMS-planning-staff-says-hiring-EMS-coordinator-is-next-step","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6547550-af50bfdd06eb4999b2da30cc4741c315/orig.mp4?Expires=1775631330&Signature=HCOTR7PJzNCrefXJGSTd80V0fYMRCzsg5lID8K2Xg-jlFZc0m4l2EPwuEv9TzPfZ~GvFMM6~SZVx4zn923fCErlmhqIsmxsGS7HyxsW-q-qAlPBiyUYH~JSToPE6bZaOZ21yW6l~klVGfUHvUwd3Cv1z94qf67GGwC5~UY7Yu~RkqrnQl9Y8dNs30CiqrLbf5da7bwM02Qh6i3GOxWSZgfJfBgwqlMiaPbnX8eMrFjYuP2nJ1dVQ4XbEkJ~Ev0Dqu~1I4UPzgZp5aj96yQh3UAjZicPtF49xZ2f6cAUB8dTb6ukKo6JOlb9whfBKRfeamB1LTmWS4DH6fznu9D8u-g__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Wicomico County staff told the council that the next formal step in countywide emergency medical services planning is to hire an EMS coordinator to lead analysis, stakeholder outreach and the operational design necessary to implement any change.

Staff said the state had advised against contracting out some elements and recommended an internal coordinator to guide the transition if the county elects to pursue consolidated or county-supported EMS arrangements. Council members were given two choices: fund the EMS coordinator and continue the planning process, or decline the position and halt the next steps.

Why it matters: EMS structure affects response times, interoperability with municipal fire departments, and long-term operating costs. The coordinator role was described as essential to analyze the SWOT study results, meet with fire chiefs and other stakeholders, and produce a clear implementation plan for countywide EMS options.

Details

- State guidance and next step: Staff reported the state recommended not doing the contracted route for the next phase and said the county must staff an EMS coordinator if the county wants to pursue countywide EMS arrangements.

- Role of the coordinator: Analyze the SWOT results, interview fire chiefs, assess one-on-one contracts versus county-employed staffing models, identify cost and governance options, and produce recommended next steps.

- Decision point: Council members were told that cutting the coordinator position would effectively halt the countywide EMS planning process. If the council wants to proceed, the coordinator hire and associated funding must be approved.

Quotes

\"Having an EMS coordinator is the next step regardless of what direction we go in,\" a staff presenter said. \"If we don't want to do it this year or council does not want to fund the position, then we'll cut it, but that does halt that entire process.\"

Follow-up actions and council direction

- Council did not make a final funding decision during the work session. Staff asked the council to decide whether to authorize the EMS coordinator position so planning can continue; if the council declines, the SWAT-based planning effort pauses.

Provenance

- topicintro: discussion begins when staff raises the state recommendation and the coordinator role (transcript time ~4072.87): \"So we talked, Lorenzo talked to the state...the state has highly recommended that we do not do this contractually at all...\"
- topfinish: staff reiterates coordinator is the next step and that council must decide to continue or halt (transcript time ~4249.57): \"So if we cut the position, it's halted at that point in time.\"","Work session discussion left the county with a decision point: hire an EMS coordinator to lead countywide EMS planning or pause the planning process. Staff said the coordinator is needed to carry the SWOT recommendations into operational proposals; council can choose to fund the position or halt the countywide EMS effort.",{"_33":88,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":89,"_41":90,"_43":91,"_45":92,"_47":93,"_49":94,"_51":95,"_53":96,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":97,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":98,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6547555,"Council asks finance to prepare budget amendment limiting director/deputy raises to 9%; staff to implement 3%/2% across remaining employees",3073,3131000,6204000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3518465-a48e3ddede49b27e64e009926ecc0f17&start=3131&end=6204","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3518465-a48e3ddede49b27e64e009926ecc0f17/thumbnail_3131000.jpg","/articles/6547555/Wicomico-County/Maryland/Council-asks-finance-to-prepare-budget-amendment-limiting-directordeputy-raises-to-9-staff-to-implement-32-across-remaining-employees","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6547555-782382a2584c7e5b2abaecddedf88181/orig.mp4?Expires=1775631330&Signature=F3r256nCCUNZRD3xnHG43zjW~LRafPrGlgnrnXKd3z4atj237IWB9ujJ1qReJM8wWC~ojInDV7LF6aV1HVN7mJjui-97I39E364FAnqzEo9ZkPDTR8wjqDvH~1w5O7kPNwl26oXuQVsQLfxkQelPXkyfn0uDGI~QR5wJWh~lOCe5vLGeGUQzMqqQocOA4g8TzWcBYJWRudxDi69kny52hJy9P6DjHj5fHFQsE86DdY~J5qshm1-ymxadYUZbHQbMa0wcmCVRYxF8fZB5c9pQVyxAikUj9yO-pDrMlsdnI6uEHUxb5S2WWnDfKQl--iuKpdfbTeFoYNbE8LfW1CjewA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Wicomico County council members and staff discussed a wide-ranging set of salary and position-control items during a May 22 work session and asked staff to prepare a budget amendment that sets director and deputy director increases at 9 percent while retaining the countywide 3 percent (July) and 2 percent (January) increases for other staff.

Finance staff presented multiple scenarios. Council members expressed concern about recruitment and retention; staff cited recent departures where comparable jobs in neighboring counties—Somerset cited—offered substantially higher pay. The council asked for a narrower, immediately actionable amendment to reduce short-term fiscal impact while preserving targeted pay increases for senior managers.

Why it matters: compensation decisions affect the county’s ability to retain specialized staff, influence pension calculations, and change ongoing personnel costs that must be built into future budgets. Council members balanced the cost to the general fund against the operational risk of losing institutional knowledge.

Key points

- Targeted reductions: Staff proposed several alternatives; council asked staff to prepare an amendment that reduces the proposed increases for director and deputy director positions to 9 percent (from originally larger requests) while keeping other approved increases within the 3% (July) + 2% (January) schedule.

- Red-line employees and one-time bonuses: For employees who would otherwise exceed a pay scale maximum if the full increases were added (so-called \"red-line\" employees), staff outlined two options: (a) raise base salary where possible or (b) provide a one-time bonus equal to the difference. Council favored using a narrower approach to limit immediate budget impact; the session included discussion about giving one-time bonuses to avoid permanent pension-base increases for some positions.

- Budget impact: Staff estimated the general-fund impact of limiting the higher increases (director/deputy only) to be approximately $41,000. Including all employees above $60,000 at the higher percentage would raise the net impact to about $97,000; fully accelerating all increases into July (a one-time 5% rather than 3%+2%) would have a materially larger fiscal effect (staff gave an illustrative $269,000 figure for all-in July changes in the transcript).

- Implementation mechanics: Council asked staff to draft the amendment and the position-control changes for formal action and to return with a clear list of affected positions, whether changes are paid as salary or one-time bonus, and pension implications for each approach.

Quotes

\"My suggestion would be that you only reduce the director and deputy director, which is a 41,000 impact to the general fund,\" Pam Olin, finance director, said when summarizing a narrower option. \"That instead of reducing it by 97,000 for the employees to add the additional employees that are over $60,000.\"

\"We have to pay them what they're worth,\" a department head said, urging retention of some higher targeted increases for specialized positions.

Follow-up actions and council direction

- Staff was directed to prepare a budget amendment with director and deputy director increases set at 9 percent and with the remaining county employees receiving the planned 3% in July and 2% in January (the \"3+2\" schedule). The amendment should also specify treatment for red-line employees (one-time bonus vs. salary adjustment) and the resulting position-control and pension implications.

Provenance

- topicintro: transcript excerpt when compensation discussion intensifies (transcript time ~5191.65): \"Red line employees are employees that are not getting the full 3 plus 2...\"
- topfinish: direction to prepare the amendment (transcript time ~6184.23): \"Prepare a budget amendment with director and deputy director at 9%.\"","Work session discussions narrowed a proposed set of pay adjustments. Council asked staff to draft an amendment applying a 9% increase to directors and deputy directors and to implement the planned 3% July / 2% January raises for other employees, with red-line (maxed) employees receiving one-time bonuses rather than permanent salary adjustments.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Wicomico County work session backs plan to raise landfill tipping fee in stages, outlines steps to fund Cell 7

Council asked to decide whether to continue countywide EMS planning; staff says hiring EMS coordinator is next step

Council asks finance to prepare budget amendment limiting director/deputy raises to 9%; staff to implement 3%/2% across remaining employees