Consultant: Liberty County must raise solid-waste rates to cover rising costs; two pace options proposed

John Culbertson, a private consultant, told the Liberty County Board of Commissioners on Jan. 16 that escalating contract costs, inflation and declining tonnage at the county transfer station have left the solid-waste fund with a substantial shortfall. County staff and the consultant presented a draft rate study that recommends increased tip fees, higher commercial charges and a choice between a single large residential assessment increase or a stepped two-year increase.

The consultant said the county—s transfer station relies on throughput to cover fixed costs and that municipalities contracting private haulers and diverting tonnage have driven the unit cost up. "There is a fairly significant deficit right now," John Culbertson said, and the county must address both tip fees and residential assessments to stabilize the fund.

The report proposes: raising transfer-station tip fees to cover contracted hauling and station operations; increasing roll-off pull fees (the fee to deliver and pick up open-top construction containers) to bring county pricing into the range of private operators; and adopting either a one-time residential increase (larger immediate correction) or a two-year step-up (spreads increases but prolongs some shortfall). Culbertson also recommended the county consider an annual escalation mechanism so future inflation and contract escalations do not produce abrupt shortfalls.

Commissioners asked for adjustments on the commercial side to reduce pressure on household assessments. Commissioner Frasier and others discussed the trade-offs of pushing more of the burden to commercial customers versus households. Culbertson said some local governments use higher commercial fees to ease residential impacts and suggested the county could study that option more specifically.

The consultant also recommended that, at the end of the current agreement with Flemington, the county stop offering polycart curbside collection to Flemington because expanding curbside service would require additional expensive equipment and staffing the county does not currently possess. Culbertson said the county should plan for vehicle replacement and other capital needs when setting rates; charts in the draft report show cash outlays for equipment replacement drive year-to-year expense spikes.

Next steps: staff and the consultant will refine a few figures in the draft report and return with a final set of recommended fee schedules and an implementation timeline; commissioners directed staff to examine pushing commercial rates toward the regional midrange and to return the recommendation for formal action at the February meeting.

Ending: The consultant and county staff recommended acting this winter so rate changes can be reflected in the county—s assessment and budgeting cycle; commissioners asked staff to bring updated tables and options to the February meeting for a vote.