Todd County approves transfer-station equipment purchases and backs regional study for demolition waste management

On March 4, 2025 the Todd County Board of Commissioners approved several solid-waste purchases for the county’s new transfer station and voted to support a regional study of construction and demolition waste management sponsored by Otter Tail County.

The measures matter because the county’s transfer-station equipment and a regional plan for demolition-waste management will affect operating costs, contingency needs and future resident fees if the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) requires liners and leachate systems for demolition landfills.

Solid Waste Director Mike Eberly presented three budgeted purchases tied to the transfer-station opening planned for mid-summer 2025: a Western Star 47X semi tractor from Boyer Truck for $154,448.10, and two walking-floor trailers from North American Trailer for $250,484 total. The board approved both purchases, which the director said were discussed with the solid waste committee and are funded from the enterprise fund and American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) dollars.

Eberly and commissioners also discussed construction contingencies for the new transfer station. Eberly said the total equipment and construction project costs are approaching the budgeted level, with an estimated $180,000 of contingency likely to be used for four change orders; he told commissioners he would present a full contingency spreadsheet at the March 18 meeting. "We look really good," Eberly said, describing the current contingency forecast.

The board also approved a $6,000 county contribution and a letter of support to Otter Tail County’s MPCA construction-and-demolition management planning grant application. Eberly and multiple commissioners warned that new MPCA rule proposals could require liners and leachate systems and that retrofitting a small county landfill would be prohibitively expensive. One commissioner said lining a single county landfill could raise demolition-material disposal costs from roughly $18 per cubic yard to about $40 per cubic yard.

Commissioners characterized the grant study as a way to explore regional solutions that would reduce per-county costs, avoid excessive trucking and extend disposal capacity; the board’s vote was unanimous.

The board also approved professional services contracts tied to regulatory compliance at the transfer station and demolition landfill: Barr Hydrology for groundwater quality review ($15,500) and Widseth for groundwater sampling, topographic surveys and stormwater compliance ($18,500). Staff said the county lacks in-house equipment and the technical qualifications to perform these mandated tasks.

What remains: Solid waste staff will return March 18 with the contingency/cost spreadsheet and supporting change orders. Commissioners said they want continued updates as construction moves into the stage where major design work is complete and change orders become less likely but still possible.

Ending: The board’s decision to back regional planning and proceed with budgeted equipment purchases demonstrates a near-term commitment to complete the transfer station while seeking regional collaboration to respond to evolving MPCA demolition landfill rules.