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Ridgewood budget: sanitation and recycling costs rise as village plans truck purchases
Summary
Solid waste and recycling divisions told the council disposal fees and temporary vehicle rentals pushed operating costs up. Staff plan to buy trucks this spring, pursue old capital to lower borrowing, and add a permanent recycling position to cut overtime.
Sean Hamlin, division head for solid waste and recycling, told the council that operating costs for sanitation and recycling are rising in 2025 primarily because of higher disposal (tipping) fees under a new contract and ongoing temporary vehicle rental charges.
Hamlin said disposal fees increased under a new contract with a hauler and that “you’re gonna see a pretty steep jump there. That was unavoidable.” He described a vehicle‑rental arrangement the village used last year to obtain trucks quickly. Rental charges are budgeted for part of 2025 (about $87,600 in operating rental costs if the village still needs vehicles through May), and staff plan to purchase the trucks and finance them through a bond ordinance introduced early in spring to stop further rental charges.
Why it matters: the rental-to-purchase path avoided a service gap but created a sizable short-term operating expense. Village Manager Keith and Hamlin said the council will be asked to introduce an early bond ordinance to buy two sanitation trucks and fund road resurfacing so work can begin when weather allows.
Capital and offsets: staff estimated the total paving program near $2.2 million and expected the truck purchases to be in the $500,000–$600,000 range before credits. Hamlin said the village will seek to apply unused prior capital to reduce new debt. He also said the village receives about 25% credit toward purchase for rental payments already made, estimating roughly $40,000 per rental unit in credit.
Recycling specifics: Hamlin said the new Atlantic Coast Recycling contract should reduce recycling disposal costs while solid-waste disposal rose. He recommended creating 1 full‑time recycling position — a role he described previously as a part‑time vacancy — to reduce overtime and to allow trained staff to operate CDL-required truck trips to disposal sites. He noted that overtime in 2024 totaled about $5,600 because supervisors filled vacancies and predicted that a full‑time hire with a CDL (about $58,000 starting) would reduce overtime and lower costs overall.
Styrofoam densifier program: Hamlin also reported the Styrofoam densifier program has collected over $10,000 in revenue so far and could be expanded to accept material from other towns.
Ending: Council members supported pursuing prior capital credits before issuing new debt and asked staff to refine figures for March budget introduction. Hamlin said the rental charges will cease once trucks are purchased and financed through the capital program.
