Mason County commissioners on Aug. 19 presented a Green Star certificate to a solid‑waste code enforcement employee and heard staff calls for volunteers to join two advisory panels. County staff also described how fats, oils and grease can foul grinder pumps in sewer systems and said the county will bill property owners when equipment fails because of improper disposal.

Ian Tracey and another staff member presented a Green Star recognition to Mandy (Wendy in some remarks) Matthews for work in solid‑waste code enforcement. “She’s complied she’s collaborated with property owners to remove countless tons of solid waste,” Ian said. Commissioners presented a certificate of recognition and a green star to Matthews at the meeting.

Public Works staff announced openings for two advisory panels. The Transportation Improvement Program Citizens Advisory Panel (TIPCAP) has five vacancies across the three commissioner districts; members advise on the county’s six‑year transportation improvement plan and meet roughly once monthly. A separate Solid Waste Advisory Committee (SWAC) is recruiting volunteers to fill vacancies for commissioner‑district representatives and a public‑group representative; SWAC members serve three‑year terms and advise on disposal, recycling, hazardous waste and waste‑reduction policy.

Staff also described a recent sewer system problem caused by accumulated grease that sank after enzymatic treatment and clogged a grinder pump. Steve Dunkel, identified in the meeting as the Mason County auditor, explained that some restaurant maintenance products transform grease so it no longer floats and instead sinks, where it can jam grinder pumps and cause motors to overrun and fail. “The grinder pump is actually really bad… they just run until they burn up,” Dunkel said. Staff said the county repaired the pump, replaced it with a rebuilt unit to reduce the immediate cost and will bill the property owner because the failure is the owner’s responsibility.

Staff urged businesses and residents to avoid putting grease into sewer systems and said the county would provide education to customers and work with property owners to reduce repeat failures. For advisory‑panel users, staff provided contact information for Public Works and said applications are available online under the county’s government/advisory boards pages.

Ending: The county plans outreach to recruit TIPCAP and SWAC volunteers, continue recognition of solid‑waste work, and pursue outreach and enforcement actions to limit grease‑related sewer damage and reduce future grinder‑pump failures.