Dona Ana County approves phased increase to solid waste punch-card fee to cover rising disposal costs

The Dona Ana County Board of County Commissioners voted to approve a phased increase to the county’s solid-waste punch-card fee, raising the per-punch charge from $4 to $5 effective Aug. 1 and adopting a multiyear schedule to raise rates further in subsequent years. County staff said the increase aims to reduce a persistent deficit created by disposal costs that have risen while local punch-card rates have not.

Assistant County Manager Stephen Lopez told commissioners that the county’s current $4 per-punch fee is substantially below the equivalent charge at the South Central Solid Waste Authority transfer station, which was quoted at $7.80. Lopez said the county’s utility operations have been operating in the red and that the county code requires utility operations to cover costs to the greatest extent possible.

Commissioners asked for additional tracking to understand whether the fee change could increase illegal dumping in unincorporated areas and sought steps to improve punch-card point-of-sale access, including on‑site card sales or electronic point-of-sale options at transfer stations. Lopez said county staff will work with South Central Solid Waste Authority leadership and return with operational updates.

The board conducted a public hearing on the ordinance-required rate change before taking the vote. A resident asked the board to consider the affordability impact on rural households and suggested extending payment options; commissioners said they would examine point-of-sale modernization and include monitoring of dumping behavior as the fee change is implemented.

The measure passed by roll-call vote as recorded on the agenda; staff will implement the first rate increase on Aug. 1 and report back to the commission as operations and the franchise-fee review proceed.