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County staff weigh reservation system, cameras and other fixes for transfer-station 2–3 hour waits
Summary
County staff and commissioners discussed long wait times at the county transfer station for tipping trailers, explored a pilot reservation system for commercial haulers, camera monitoring, changing out-of-county rates and longer-term options such as an additional transfer station.
Mike Moss, public services director, told the Board of County Commissioners that transfer-station queueing for tipping trailers has lengthened and that the county is pursuing short- and long-term responses. "There's, like, 2 to 3 hour waits for people to get through their trailers," Moss said, calling that "probably unacceptable." He said the county has met with the station operator Waste Control and will pilot a reservation system with a few commercial accounts and explore a live camera feed to let drivers see queue length before they arrive. Moss said adding a second transfer station is a possibility but would take several years for permitting and construction and is not a short-term fix.
The problem, Moss said, stems in part from the transfer-station layout: tipping trailers share the same floor space as packer trucks and container haulers, a configuration that worked 20 years ago but is becoming strained with increased volume from both commercial and residential customers. He noted the county’s contract with Waste Control includes language describing an average service time of about "15 minutes from scale to start tipping," but that current volumes create much longer waits for trailers.
Commissioners and staff discussed several options during the meeting. Staff plans to: 1) pilot a reservation system with a small number of commercial accounts to test scheduled arrival times; 2) discuss installing a live camera to show queue length; 3) consider selective seasonal or construction‑season adjustments, such as restricting some tipping times to commercial haulers; and 4) examine rate adjustments for out‑of‑county vehicles to reduce external demand. Mike Moss said Waste Control is open to trialing a reservation approach and staff will continue to meet with the operator. A county commissioner noted enforcement and permitting constraints if the county wanted to add new tipping space.
Public-safety and environmental consequences from illegal dumping were raised informally by a speaker recounting callers who said long waits had led some residents to dump trash in the woods; staff told the board they do not want that outcome and are pursuing alternatives. Moss emphasized that the transfer-station operations are under the county’s contract with Waste Control, so while public works fields the complaints, Waste Control is the operator working on operational fixes.
No formal action or vote was taken at the meeting; staff said they will continue negotiations with Waste Control, run small pilots and report back to the board.
