Auburn reviews solid waste fund as disposal contract, post‑closure monitoring and borrowing loom

Auburn city staff on Jan. 23 presented a review of the city’s solid waste fund, outlining the three core components — curbside refuse collection, refuse disposal (post‑closure landfill care) and the transfer station — and flagged near‑term decisions including a disposal contract bid this spring, possible changes to contractor rates and long‑term borrowing to cover closing costs and equipment replacement.

The presentation by Mike Talbot, superintendent of public works, and Marybeth Leeson, the city comptroller, explained how current operations and recent capital purchases shape the fund’s budget and cash flow. “We call it the components. So really, it’s what makes up our solid waste fund,” Talbot said, summarizing the three accounts that the city uses for solid waste operations.

Why it matters: the solid waste fund runs as a proprietary (enterprise) fund that receives most of its revenue from refuse collection fees and has limited recurring cash inflows outside the July tax levy. Leeson told council the fund ended 2024 with a net operating loss of about $1,300,000, a number that includes non‑cash depreciation expense. She said the general fund typically loans cash to the solid waste fund late in the fiscal year and that the city will likely need to do so again this year unless revenues or rates change.

Most important facts

- The solid waste fund is organized across three account codes Talbot identified as AL 8161 (refuse collection), AL 8162 (refuse disposal/post‑closure care) and…