County to Draft Policy Waiving Landfill Tipping Fees for Residents; Board Asks Limits and One-Year Review

Pennsylvania County supervisors asked staff on Tuesday to draft a policy that would waive or reduce tipping fees at the county landfill for residents who bring household debris in personal vehicles, and to return with tracking data after a trial period.

The board’s public-works presenter, identified in the meeting as Chris Adcock, said the proposal would waive the gate fee for property owners who present identification and arrive in a personal vehicle; residents arriving with a trailer would pay a reduced rate (roughly half the standard gate rate). Adcock said the proposal is intended to limit abuse while making disposal more convenient for county residents.

Board members said they favored broad relief for citizens but asked staff to add guardrails. Supervisor Ingram raised the enforcement concern that people could use an inexpensive rate to dump repeatedly, saying, “I wouldn’t want anybody to decide because of any kind of rate that they’ll just wait till it gets dark and go down the road.” Several supervisors said a tonnage limit or other deterrent should be included in the draft language.

Supervisor Bowman recommended a time-limited trial: “Do this for a year, and let’s see what we have coming through the gate,” he said, instructing staff to track tonnage and report back so the board can reassess as part of the budget process.

Adcock told the board staff can track citizen loads under an existing charge code and suggested reporting after six months and again at the year mark. He also noted that the landfill has about 2.8 years of remaining capacity in the currently open cell and that the county is working on permitting for the next phase.

Outcome: The board directed staff to draft a resident landfill tipping-fee policy that (a) waives or reduces fees for resident personal vehicles, (b) includes language to deter frequent commercial use (suggested tonnage limits), and (c) returns to the board for review after a tracking period (six months and one year were discussed). No formal vote on the policy text was taken during the work session; the draft will be returned to the board for placement on the regular meeting agenda (likely consent if it “passes the smell test” with the administrator).

Clarifying details discussed in the meeting were included in the draft request: the county’s population range (cited as almost 60,000 residents during discussion), staff capability to track waived loads using an existing code, and the landfill’s remaining open-cell life estimated at 2.8 years.

The board emphasized that the policy should be clear and time-limited so it can be evaluated and adjusted as needed.