Shorewood trustees recommend extending transfer-station agreement with Whitefish Bay

Village of Shorewood trustees voted to recommend that the Village Board extend the village's existing transfer-station agreement with Whitefish Bay after staff described how Saturday disposal fees are credited and noted uncertainty about the transfer station's future.

The vote followed a staff explanation of a credit arrangement established when Whitefish Bay's truck fleet changes made direct weighing of its refuse impractical. A village staff member said Shorewood continues to pay Waste Management invoices and bills Whitefish Bay for its share, but the village now applies a credit intended to offset typical Saturday tonnage rather than track each vehicle's weight.

The staff member described the accounting change and said the village receives some cash from Saturday disposal: "I will say I cash receded Saturday's, disposal fees, and it was about $1,600. That also includes fees paid for, electronic recycling, and those are just pass through fees. We charge actual cost for that and then are billed for that." The staff member also said an earlier letter to a previous director outlined the agreed approach to estimating average Saturday tonnage and applying a credit to Whitefish Bay because Shorewood retains cash receipts collected at the station.

Trustees discussed the practical effect of the arrangement and the difficulty of producing exact matches in accounting because receipts vary. Several trustees and President McKay said that, because the transfer station's future location is uncertain, it would be preferable to keep the current agreement in place rather than negotiate a new contract now. President McKay said he would "lean toward . . . an olive branch with Whitefish Bay and, just creating an extension to what we currently have."

A trustee moved "to recommend an extension to the village board for" the current agreement; another trustee seconded the motion. A voice vote was taken and trustees responded "Aye," and the chair declared the motion carried. The transcript records two affirmative responses but does not include a full roll-call tally.

The discussion also noted equipment life-cycle timing for the station's compactors, with one compactor projected to be out of service around 2027 (the other staggered), a factor trustees cited in favor of a short-term extension rather than a full renegotiation now.

Next steps: trustees recommended the extension to the Village Board; staff will continue work related to the transfer station amid plans to seek a long-term location.