Supervisors approve purchase of tire cutter and adopt new residential tire rules

The Westmoreland County Board of Supervisors voted unanimously to authorize county staff to purchase a commercial tire cutter and to adopt new rules limiting residential tire disposal.

County staff described a growing pile of tires at the transfer station, current per-tire fees collected from residents (approximately $6,000 per year), and annual vendor pickup costs of about $17,000. Staff proposed buying a commercial tire cutter (quoted at roughly $27,000) that cuts sidewalls and leaves treads, which can be further reduced with handheld tools; doing so, officials said, should reduce hauling costs and storage burdens.

The board approved a motion giving the county administrator authority to purchase the tire cutter. The motion passed on a recorded voice roll call with all members voting in favor.

Separately, the board adopted a package of operational changes for the transfer station: limit residential disposal to four tires per day, prohibit commercial tire disposal at the transfer station, eliminate the per-tire fee for residents, and move to a paper hang-tag system that could be mailed with tax bills or made available at the convenience centers. A board member noted that other counties impose per-day limits and no resident fees; another member emphasized the priority of discouraging illegal dumping.

During discussion maintenance staff explained the cutter’s operation and confirmed it is designed to handle modern steel-belted radial tires: the machine cuts the sidewalls and leaves the tread; handheld devices can cut the tread to save space. Staff said the county can cover the purchase within the current-year budget or return if an appropriation is required.

No change to commercial tire handling beyond the new prohibition at the transfer station was adopted; the board said commercial haulers should use commercial disposal channels.