LaSalle County committee approves landfill host-fee rates, accepts quarterly report; discussion on PFAS testing and service-area limits

LaSalle County’s Oversight Landfill and Land Use Committee on Feb. 5 approved an annual host-benefit fee rate adjustment and accepted the landfill’s quarterly and year-end report, and heard updates from Republic Services on tonnage, waste origins and emerging testing requirements for PFAS.

The committee voted to set the host-benefit schedule tied to the Consumer Price Index (CPI) and to apply the tiered per-ton rates presented by county staff and Republic Services. Stephanie Thompson, LaSalle County auditor, said the CPI calculation for the year was 1.0387 and walked the committee through the per-ton rates: $3.15 per ton for the first 105,000 tons, $4.82 per ton above 105,000 tons, $6.60 per ton above 140,000 tons, and a $0.50 per-ton surcharge on tonnage exceeding 200,000.

The quarterly report listed $218,002.87 due to LaSalle County for the fourth quarter and reported fourth-quarter tonnage of 42,003.25 tons (noting a transcription typo in the report). Year-to-date tonnage for fiscal year 2024 was stated as 152,805.33 tons and year-to-date host fees paid were $1,122,865.94. Thompson said the county budgeted $850,000 in tipping fees for the previous year but had lowered the estimate to $650,000 for the current year based on recent trends.

Why it matters: host-benefit fees are a revenue stream for the county tied directly to landfill activity; changes in tonnage or the service area affect county revenue and landfill life estimates. Committee members pressed for clearer breakdowns of waste origins and for an added spreadsheet line showing tonnage from highlighted out-of-area counties (DuPage, Kane, Cook, Will) to make cross-county inflows easier to track.

Republic Services’ environmental manager Eric Dippen described the oversight meetings’ role under the host agreement and explained operational details about alternate daily cover. “We have an agreement set up with the county that if we're using wood chips or tire chips… we do not have to pay the host fee on a certain amount of those chips,” Dippen said. He added the landfill has a permanent approval to use chipped tires as alternate daily cover and that such materials are later buried with subsequent lifts of waste.

Committee members asked for vendor details for tire chips and for a clearer line item showing how much tonnage arrives from highlighted counties outside LaSalle; Thompson agreed to add that line to the next quarter’s spreadsheet.

The committee also discussed the landfill’s remaining capacity and how incoming tonnage affects site life. Republic Services staff estimated the landfill had “well over 20 years” of capacity remaining and suggested a figure closer to 40 years in some calculations; the county’s annual report stated the landfill had about 31 years of capacity remaining based on conservative density assumptions used in reporting.

Environmental regulation and testing: members asked whether the landfill currently tests for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). Dippen said PFAS sampling has recently been added to the landfill’s storm-water discharge permit but that PFAS testing on the Bureau of Land permit had not yet been reported: “PFAS is in everything. It’s in our blood, it’s in everything in our waste stream, it’s in the air, so it depends on what concentrations,” he said. He added the site was following Illinois EPA regulatory developments and would comply with new testing requirements as they are adopted.

Inspections and staffing: the committee received a landfill inspection review noting six site inspections in the quarter with no violations found. Committee presenter Bridal said inspectors are EPA-certified and that an environmental inspector position in the office is open; hiring and training are expected over the next few months. Separately, department staff reported the county’s contract building/inspection vendor SafeBuilt is recruiting to replace a recently resigned inspector and is currently providing coverage two days per week while plan reviews are being handled by county staff.

Votes at a glance: - Motion to approve Oversight Committee minutes — outcome: approved (motion reported and passed; mover: Mike Sangston; second: not specified). - Motion to approve Land Use committee minutes — outcome: approved (mover: Kathy Bridal; second: Kathy Owens). - Motion to approve the landfill quarterly and year-end report — outcome: approved (motion moved and seconded; vote passed). - Motion to approve the host-benefit fee rate adjustment as presented (CPI-adjusted tiered rates and surcharge) — outcome: approved (mover: Mike Sangston; second: Steve Aubrey). - Motion to approve the LaSalle County Land Use annual report and send to full County Board — outcome: approved (mover: not specified; second: Kendra Pottinger). - Motion to adjourn the oversight portion of the meeting — outcome: approved (mover: Mark, second: Steve). - Motion to enter executive session under the cited Illinois statute for pending or imminent litigation — outcome: approved by roll call (roll-call ayes recorded).

Discussion vs. formal decisions: the committee distinguished between informational updates (Republic Services’ presentation, inspection summaries, PFAS regulation updates) and formal action (approval of minutes, fee schedule and reports). Several committee members requested more detailed spreadsheet breakdowns of out-of-area tonnage and for staff to circulate the host agreement to committee members ahead of renegotiation. Republic Services noted the extended service-area authorization that allowed incoming loads from DuPage, Kane, Cook and Will counties is set to expire in July 2026 and will require renegotiation.

The meeting closed with the committee approving reports and the host-fee schedule and with an agreed-upon follow-up: Thompson will add the requested tonnage breakdowns to the next quarter’s report and distribute the host agreement to committee members. The committee scheduled routine quarterly oversight and noted ongoing monitoring of PFAS regulatory developments and staffing changes that may affect inspection coverage.