Broadwater County staff report strong solid-waste revenues, discuss expanded business assessments and tipping-fee options

Broadwater County officials on March 11 discussed a second-quarter solid-waste budget report showing revenues above expectations and considered several operational changes aimed at capturing unpaid assessments and reducing county costs.

The county's chief administrative officer and budget director, Bill Jirachi, said, “As of the second quarter, we, were at a hundred and 4 percent of our revenue budget,” and noted that several service-charge lines — including disposal and container rental — were running above budget. Jirachi also highlighted a $184,000 machinery-and-equipment charge tied to a hook truck that should have been recorded in the capital-improvement portion of the budget, not the O&M worksheet.

Why it matters: Commissioners and staff said capturing unpaid assessments and clarifying who pays for hauling and tipping will affect whether current payers continue to shoulder extra costs, and could change how private haulers and outreach sites are managed.

Budget and capital items County staff said operational spending is running below projections: the O&M line reads roughly 41% spent at midyear, and the combined personnel and O&M total showed about 36% spent as of the second quarter. Jirachi said the $184,000 hook-truck expense appeared on the O&M worksheet because it had been paid from reserves and should be shown in the capital budget. He described the hook truck purchase as financed with an intercap loan; staff reported the first payment (interest) was about $10,000 and regular payments are “around 10,000” with…