Atchison County commissioners authorize notice to amend 2025 solid-waste budget over $150,000 shortfall

Atchison County commissioners on Oct. 21 authorized publication of a budget-hearing notice to consider a $150,000 amendment to the county’s 2025 solid-waste budget, after the finance director said trash and recycling expenses are running above current estimates.

The county’s finance director, Mark Sultner, told the board that the solid-waste trash service line has about $58,000 remaining on the current appropriation and that monthly trash costs are roughly $50,000. He said recycling costs have already exceeded the budgeted amount and run roughly $10,000 per month. “If we just use an average of 10 [thousand], and then that give us an extra 20 as a buffer somewhere, we can only do 1 amendment. So if we don't budget enough and we happen to go over, something else is gonna have to give,” Sultner said.

Why it matters: Commissioners said the amendment is intended to prevent the solid-waste fund from going negative before year end and to allow time to negotiate a longer-term revenue solution. The board directed staff to engage the county’s haulers and seek commitments, including memoranda of understanding or other assurances, so the county can project 2026 rates and any user-fee adjustments.

Supporting details: Sultner recommended a $150,000 amendment, explaining the figure reflects expected payments for October–December and a buffer for unknown costs. He noted the solid-waste capital outlay account contains over $70,000 and that the board could defer a planned backhoe purchase or use capital funds to help cover costs. Sultner also told commissioners that only one budget amendment is permitted in the year for that fund, which informed his recommendation to budget conservatively.

Board direction and next steps: Commissioners authorized staff to publish the legal notice and schedule a hearing (the hearing must be at least 10 days after publication). Commissioners asked staff to: (1) request projections and a tonnage-based breakdown from the main haulers listed in county correspondence (Martin Trash, CityBatch, Sun and Waste Management were named in meeting discussion); (2) draft an approach to recoup recurring shortfalls from user fees or contract adjustments for 2026; and (3) provide the public hearing timeline. Commissioner discussion also emphasized the county must identify a revenue source before finalizing the amendment to avoid relying on one-time cash balances.

Quotes: Finance Director Mark Sultner said, “So if the board would like to go ahead with my recommendation of doing a $150,000 budget amendment… you have to have a hearing. It has to be 10 days after [publication] in the paper.” Sultner added, “You can only do 1 amendment, and that's it,” referring to the county’s limit on amendments for the fund.

Context: Commissioners said recycling and solid-waste costs have trended upward during 2025; Sultner showed recent monthly recycling payments that often exceed the budgeted annual level. The board discussed using an average of recent months to project 2026 needs and agreed staff should coordinate with haulers to determine a fair, tonnage-based contribution or a user-fee schedule.

Outcome: The motion to authorize the budget amendment notice and schedule the hearing passed 3–0. The board set a target of publishing the notice immediately and holding the hearing later in November, with a possible hearing date discussed for Nov. 18.