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Solid-waste staff propose transfer‑station fee increases and new tire‑fund purchases as disposal costs rise
Summary
Public Works said transfer‑station fees have not been adjusted in about 20 years and currently recover only about 45% of operating costs; ADEQ’s April increase in tire-processing fees and rising hauling costs prompted requests for fee changes and equipment funded in part from the tire fund.
Public Works Director Roger McCormick told the board that Yavapai’s solid‑waste transfer‑station fees are largely unchanged since about 2004 and no longer cover operating costs, and he outlined a plan to update fees while targeting operational improvements.
McCormick said transfers at county stations currently recover roughly 45% of costs and that the county has been subsidizing the remainder from the general fund. He noted the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality raised the state tire‑collection disposal charge from $2.00 to $4.66 per tire effective April 1; Public Works staff estimate that change could raise tire‑fund revenue from roughly $620,000 to about $1.4 million if collection volumes hold.
The FY26 presentation includes a plan to advertise revised transfer‑station fees (county staff said some fee lines would roughly double), with a public notice and a scheduled hearing before the board. McCormick said staff will still offer annual free or reduced‑cost yard‑waste/drop‑off windows (the county historically runs free/slash‑drop events in spring) and will provide the board with the full fee schedule and the required public notice schedule before any change is adopted.
Operational pressure and equipment requests: McCormick and operations staff described growing volumes of green‑waste/slash material at the county’s eight transfer stations and two tire yards, and said grinding capacity is constrained by staffing and equipment availability. The department is proposing a new dedicated grinding‑service vehicle (a service truck with a crane and service body to handle screen changes safely) and a front‑end loader purchase that would be funded from the tire fund, plus a request for an additional solid‑waste field supervisor to manage eight sites and 19 employees.
Why it matters: The combination of long‑unchanged user fees, higher hauling and disposal costs, and rising volumes of green waste has increased the county’s operating burden. McCormick told the board the proposed fee and equipment changes are intended to reduce general‑fund subsidies and improve safety and throughput at transfer stations.
Ending: Public Works will return with the formal 60‑day public notice and a hearing on transfer‑station fee changes and will provide details on anticipated revenue and the timing of equipment purchases.
