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Dickson County proposes raising commercial landfill tipping fee to $70 per ton; municipalities asked to pay half
Summary
County leaders proposed raising commercial tipping fees from $54 to $70 per ton and asking municipal partners to pay $35 per ton, a change the county says would raise roughly $500,000 in annual revenue and fund future capital improvements at the landfill. Commissioners voted to move the proposal to the regular session agenda.
Dickson County officials proposed raising the countys commercial landfill tipping fee from $54 to $70 per ton and asking municipal partners to pay $35 per ton, a move county leaders said would produce roughly $500,000 in additional revenue while helping fund long-term capital improvements.
The change would take effect Sept. 1, giving commercial haulers a ramp-up period before the new fee applies for a full year, county officials said. The countys proposal keeps the municipal share at half the commercial rate, with the city of Dixon, White Bluff and Charlotte expected to pay the reduced municipal rate under agreements that would be with each municipality, not with private haulers.
Why it matters: County leaders said the landfill has been under growing pressure from rising costs and traffic congestion on site, and that a steady revenue stream is needed to plan and pay for a redesign of the scale, circulation and convenience-center access. The proposed revenues would be placed in the solid waste enterprise fund to support operations and capital projects.
At the work session, the mayor summarized the recommended rates and the expected revenue: "We're looking at roughly raising about an additional $500,000 in revenue," the mayor said, according to the meeting transcript. County staff recommended delaying the effective date to Sept. 1 so charges for the first year would cover nine months.
County staff described how the fee would be applied in practice: county-collected commercial tonnage would be charged $70 per ton; municipal tonnage would be charged $35 per ton and billed to the municipality, which would remain responsible for agreements with private haulers. The mayor said the municipal discount reflects that municipal pickup reduces pressure on the countys convenience centers and could avoid building several new centers.
Commissioners discussed the fiscal context and alternatives. One commissioner asked how the current $10 fee for residential customers was being used; county staff said that line item is included in the solid waste budget and that staff had considered county-run collection but found it would require additional staff and cost more than the present arrangement. The mayor noted the plan was intended to be stable for several years: "I don't think it would need to be touched for another 5 years, assuming that we're all on normal increases," he said.
The commission voted without recorded roll call to move the proposal to the regular session agenda for a final decision.
County staff said they will share the full handout and calculations with commissioners and municipal officials so city councils can review municipal billing responsibilities and anticipated impacts.
Less urgent details: County staff credited Ken Nafe and Jackie Fayette with assembling the data, and noted that the county had received some federal funds for the landfill previously but needs a dedicated local capital fund for future improvements.
