County commissioners agree to reallocate $500,000 for solid-waste repairs, set public hearing on tire and sticker fee changes

County commissioners and Solid Waste staff held a work session July 24 to review capital projects and maintenance needs and to discuss proposed changes to solid-waste fees, including tire charges and household dump stickers.

Commissioner (unnamed) said the meeting was called to explain how the solid-waste enterprise fund operates and to follow up on a recent request to move $500,000 that had been set aside for a possible repair. "I thought we should have this meeting and have Auditing and everybody here to explain how solid waste works," the commissioner said. The commissioner and staff discussed separating long-term capital projects from routine repairs and maintenance when budgeting.

Why it matters: Solid Waste operates on fee revenue rather than property tax levies; if fees do not cover costs the enterprise must use its cash-on-hand. Commissioners pressed staff to prioritize safety and high-cost capital items while using available cash for urgent maintenance. That affects how much cash is available for work this fiscal year and what spending authority must be rolled forward to FY26.

Most important facts: Staff identified two capital priorities already in the 10-year capital plan — replacement of two "Z" walls at transfer sites — and a list of vehicle and site repairs that staff categorized as maintenance. Staff and commissioners agreed they could reallocate the $500,000 spending authority so some portion would be used in the current fiscal year for repairs and the remainder moved into an FY26 capital account for larger projects. "When I would say take a — I was thinking, you know, put enough that 500 leave enough in this budget of that 500 to cover what we can do this year, because everything we have listed here with the prices we can get done this year," a Solid Waste staff member said.

On the allocation, commissioners discussed a practical split: $100,000 to repairs and maintenance for the current year and the remaining $400,000 earmarked for FY26 capital projects. Staff noted that spending authority works differently for construction (which can roll forward as construction-in-progress) versus maintenance (spending authority expires if not used in-year). The board asked staff to bring specific quotes and bids back so individual items can be approved out of the reallocated line items.

Fee proposals and required process: Staff described a package of proposed fee changes for residential and commercial customers, notably changing residential tire handling and limiting additional household dump stickers. Staff said the change to passenger-tire pricing (from $2 to $5 per passenger tire in the proposed schedule) would trigger a public-hearing requirement because it exceeds the department's 5% threshold for fee-line increases. "Any fee that increases more than 5% including tire disposal fee ... needs to have a public hearing," a Solid Waste staff member said. Commissioners directed staff to schedule a public hearing and prepare a resolution; staff proposed making new tire and sticker rules effective Oct. 1 if approved.

Key points of the fee proposals discussed: - Residential tires: Proposal to charge $5 per passenger tire up to 22 inches (previously the county accepted four passenger tires at no charge under current practice). Larger and oversized residential tires would carry higher fees (staff used examples of $10–$50 depending on size and rim presence); staff said figures are based on estimated disposal cost per ton plus handling and labor costs. "I figured out, based on the weights of tires and how many tires equal the ton and we're charged $275 for disposal per ton," a staff member said. - Commercial tires: Staff proposed increasing the passenger-tire charge for commercial customers (examples discussed included $10 per passenger tire) to better reflect disposal and handling costs. - Household stickers: Commissioners expressed concern about abuse of the extra-sticker allowance. The board agreed to limit mailed stickers to two per household and to charge for additional stickers (proposal discussed: first two extra at $5 each, next two at $10 each, then no more). Commissioners emphasized rentals and property managers should treat sticker costs as a business expense. - Point-of-sale system: Commissioners and staff discussed using a point-of-sale system (barcode or license-plate capture) to better track individual usage and to curb abuse. Staff said they are researching systems and recommended keeping the initial residential allowances while implementing tracking technology.

Other operational items: Staff walked the board through maintenance items — heaters red-tagged as unsafe at a decommissioning building, rubber chutes on trucks that need reattachment, gate and pavement repairs, and concrete pads and push-wall work. The board and staff classified replacements or new pads as capital and routine repairs (gate bearings, rubber chutes, concrete shoring) as maintenance.

What the board directed: Commissioners asked staff to draft a resolution to move the spending authority for the $500,000 into the identified budget lines (repairs/maintenance in FY25 and capital in FY26), to assemble bids and quotes for items to be completed this fiscal year, and to schedule a public hearing on the fee changes (including the passenger-tire fee change) to occur before any fee increase takes effect. A timeline for the public hearing and the effective date (staff suggested Oct. 1) was discussed but not formally approved in the session.

Closing: Commissioners said they will review concrete bids and line-item allocations when staff returns with specific quotes. The meeting adjourned after the board confirmed the next steps: reallocation resolution, public hearing scheduling, and further review of capital versus maintenance prioritization.