Broadwater County public works warns solid-waste sites face reduced hours as attendants leave

TJ Gravely, Broadwater County public works director, told the Broadwater County Commission that multiple solid-waste site attendants will leave in coming weeks and the department is currently “very short staffed.”

Gravely said the Winston site attendant will leave around May 1, the Dry Gulch attendant around June 1 and the transfer-station attendant has submitted a resignation and is now working only one day per week. He said recruitment efforts to date have not produced hires and that the department will try different advertising and scheduling, including offering shifts that could fit retired workers or high-school schedules.

“Maybe high school student, solid waste department will work with you on the schedule,” Gravely said. He warned that if positions are not filled, “the hours of the canister sites will change. We have no idea at this point what that would look like, but if we don't have employees, we can't open them.”

Commissioners did not take formal action during the public comment; Gravely urged anyone interested in short or part-time work to contact Misty or the public works office.

The remarks occurred during the meeting's public-comment portion and were presented as operational information rather than a formal agenda item. No timeline for recruitment outcomes or follow-up direction from the commission was recorded in the transcript.

Gravely's statements highlight an immediate operational risk to rural waste collection services if vacancies are not filled, but the commission did not adopt a policy or funding change during the session.