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Weston staff propose raise to refuse and recycling special charge after new contract; trustees discuss preserving fund balance
Summary
Staff recommended a proposed refuse and recycling special charge increase to roughly $205.50 annually to reflect a new contract with Harder's; trustees discussed fund-balance impacts and asked staff to return with a "lean" budget scenario before a final vote.
WESTON, Wis.
Village staff told the Board of Trustees Sept. 22 that a proposed change in the refuse and recycling special charge to about $205.50 annually is needed to reflect the new three- to seven-year contract with Harder's and changes in curbside and yard-waste costs. Trustees discussed the trade-off between using fund balance and adopting a higher ongoing charge.
Staff described the components of the refuse and recycling fund: curbside pickup, yard-waste handling at the compost site, equipment use under a recycling grant, and tipping charges at the landfill. Staff said the proposed $205.50 figure would cause a projected decrease in the refuse fund balance of about $4,500 in the coming year; the village currently applies a special charge that has been roughly constant for seven years.
"If I were to just put it at $205, we would have a $7,240 decrease," a staff presenter said, describing sensitivity to small price changes because of the number of containers the village serves. Staff also said the contract includes annual CPI increases and a fuel escalator that will be triggered more quickly under the new agreement when diesel prices exceed specified thresholds.
Trustees asked whether the charge represented a new fee; staff and a trustee clarified it is not new. "This $2.05 is with Harder's, and some of the questions were, is it because we switched to Harder's? No," Trustee Maloney said, adding that the village saved about $300,000 by contracting with Harder's rather than renewing with Waste Management. Staff confirmed the contract included bulk-item drop-off and that the village's per-ton landfill tipping rate under the new contract was discussed in the packet.
Staff presented a range of options and said they are comfortable recommending the $205.50 number as a conservative estimate that avoids frequent small increases in subsequent years. Trustees did not vote on the special charge Sept. 22; staff said they would like a board decision before finalizing the 2026 budget so the charge can be included on property tax bills.
Trustees asked staff to provide a "lean" scenario showing how a smaller increase would affect fund balance so they could compare alternatives at the next budget workshop. The board did not take formal action on the special charge at the session.
The refuse and recycling contract and proposed special charge will be on the agenda for further review at the Oct. 6 budget workshop.
