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County sets June 3 hearing on solid-waste billing; approves Fern Street recycling-site MOU and awards construction bid
Summary
Beltrami County set a June 3 public hearing on a proposed solid-waste ordinance change that shifts commercial billing to hauler weight and approved a city–county MOU and bid award to build a new Fern Street recycling site to replace a location being displaced by roadwork.
Beltrami County Commissioners set a public hearing for June 3 on a proposed update to the solid-waste ordinance that would change how commercial hauling is billed, and the board separately approved a memorandum of understanding to locate a new Fern Street recycling site and awarded the construction bid for that site.
Why it matters: The billing change would shift the county away from tracking individual businesses and toward tracking what haulers deliver by weight, simplifying county administration but moving billing details to the hauler–business relationship. The Fern Street site will replace an existing site that must move because of nearby road work; the project is jointly sited with the city, was eligible for grant funding, and the board said the project cost is covered by a grant.
Solid-waste billing change: County staff summarized the proposed billing change as moving away from collecting business-level reports from haulers and assessing businesses, toward a system that charges based on the weight the hauler brings in. As staff explained, “instead of tracking businesses and getting reports from the haulers ... this is looking at, just what the hauler brings in. And then they're paying by the weight, and they can charge the businesses accordingly.” Commissioners voted to set a public hearing for June 3 on the ordinance update (motion by Commissioner Winger; second by Commissioner Carlson). The motion carried 5–0.
Fern Street recycling site MOU and bid: The board considered a joint city–county memorandum of understanding to establish a Fern Street recycling site that will replace an existing site near Northdale Oil/fairgrounds that must move because road work is underway. Commissioner Gould raised concerns about community outreach and said she was not kept informed; staff replied the site move was driven primarily by road construction near Northdale Oil and that the Fern Street site would also replace the Target-site location in time.
The MOU to establish the Fern Street site was approved (motion by Commissioner Carlson, second by Commissioner Winger) on a 4–1 vote; Commissioner Gould voted no, citing lack of community input. Staff said the site location had FAA approval because the parcel is airport property and that a grant will cover construction costs.
The board then approved the low bid and awarded the construction contract for the Fern Street recycling site; staff said the cost is covered by the grant. That award also passed 4–1.
What’s next: Staff will execute the MOU with the city, manage FAA and airport-property requirements, and proceed with the grant-funded construction contract. Commissioners who requested more outreach were told staff would provide documents and answer questions; Commissioner Gould said she expected substantial public feedback given the relocation of long-standing recycling drop-off sites.
