Kane County committee seeks to restore Settlers Hill postclosure fund minimum to $4 million

Kane County Energy and Environmental Committee members on June 13 said they will ask the county board to restore the minimum balance for the county's landfill postclosure fund to $4,000,000.

The request, discussed during a department pre-budget presentation by Jody Womack of the Environmental and Water Resources Department, aims to preserve money originally generated by tipping fees at the Settlers Hill Landfill for long-term monitoring, maintenance and environmental costs once the landfill is turned over to the county.

Womack told the committee that the 650 enterprise surcharge fund was generated from Settlers Hill tipping fees and that state law restricts how the money can be used. She said the county board had lowered the fund's minimum balance from $4,000,000 to $3,000,000 during construction of a cross-country course and that staff now recommends increasing the minimum back to $4,000,000. "We do re recommend, sending through a resolution increasing that mini minimum fund balance back to the $4,000,000 to ensure that we have sufficient funds that are available for the postclosure period," Womack said.

Womack outlined costs the fund is expected to cover after the landfill's postclosure period begins, including routine vegetation and cap maintenance, leachate collection and disposal, and engineering and legal support if problems arise. She gave a current operating estimate of about $500,000 per year for routine items and said roughly $250,000 of that is for leachate disposal. She warned disposal costs may rise if wastewater plants stop accepting leachate because of PFAS; "if IEPA comes out with PFAS requirements, we will be hunting to find somewhere to dispose that leachate," she said.

Committee members pressed Womack on timing and the county's financial exposure. She said Waste Management remains responsible for expenses during the current postclosure period and that it is unlikely the landfill will be turned over to the county in 2027 as previously estimated. "I would say probably if 5 years beyond that might be it''between 2028 and 2032," she said, while characterizing that as an estimate rather than a firm date.

Womack said the fund currently holds about $5,000,000, but interest earnings and prior use of the fund for other projects mean the balance is not static; she told members the fund earned about $120,000 in interest in the recent year but only $20,000 per year when interest rates were much lower. She told the committee the fund is also used to support staff and recycling programs, and recommended preserving the balance to avoid large one-time hits to the general fund for future postclosure expenses.

Committee members voiced concern about the long-term costs and supported placing a resolution on the next meeting agenda to restore the minimum fund balance to $4,000,000. The chair acknowledged the consensus and asked staff to prepare the resolution for the committee's consideration.

Next steps include drafting and reviewing a resolution for the board and estimating multi-year cost scenarios to inform the county board's decision.