Leo Riley, department head for Tompkins County Recycling and Materials Management, told the county Expanded Budget Committee on Sept. 10 that falling prices for recyclable commodities forced the department to rework the 2026 enterprise budget. “ACR stands for average commodity revenue,” Riley said, describing how the county budgets expected revenue from the sale of sorted recyclables. “As we sit here today, we’re projecting 2025 to come in at $60 per ton.”

The projection matters because the department budgeted an $80-per-ton ACR for 2026 and expects revenue from sales of materials to decline roughly $200,000 year over year. The shortfall, department officials said, together with rising contract and staffing costs, drives a proposed package of small fee increases and other changes intended to avoid drawing on the fund balance to balance operations.

Riley and Deputy Director Kat McCarthy described a mix of steps in the county administrator’s recommended budget: modest increases to the annual solid-waste unit fee (from $82 to $85), raising the disposal fee per ton (from $106 to $110), and increasing tire disposal fees (from $300 to $350). The budget also includes a $25,000 contribution to an equipment reserve, a planned 3% increase in labor costs and the addition of limited part-time staffing tied to code enforcement and grant-funded work. Officials said the 2026 budget eliminates the practice adopted since about 2020 of using the fund balance annually to cover operating shortfalls.

Committee members questioned assumptions and sought options. Legislator Rich asked whether the county could create a reserve specifically for ACR volatility so boom years could offset lean years; Riley and others said the idea made sense and should be explored with county administration and finance. Legislator Randy Brown asked whether the package of fee changes would make up the gap; officials said the $3 annual fee increase would raise about $195,000, and the disposal fee and other adjustments would add smaller amounts. Riley warned the ACR remains unpredictable: the department budgeted $95 per ton in 2025, later projected $77 when compiling 2026, and now projects $60.

Department staff also described program work intended to reduce landfill tonnage and long-term costs, including a spring pilot curbside food-scrap collection in parts of the City of Ithaca, expanded education and outreach, a planned countywide waste-characterization study, and coordination with the highway department on composting of animal carcasses at a closed landfill. Officials said enforcement and clearer local laws will be needed to increase diversion from landfills.

Committee discussion flagged several follow-up items for staff: provide a one-page spreadsheet listing every enhancement (recommended and not recommended) with costs, break down what is in the “other” line (debt tied to disposal and old landfills), and detail the equipment request increases. Officials said they would provide those clarifications in the coming days.

The presentation left the legislature with choices between using additional one-time reserves to soften a fee increase and adopting the fee package and policy changes to reduce ongoing reliance on fund balance and exposure to commodity-market volatility.