Landfill and sanitation officials propose modest tipping‑fee increases, plus staff hires for residential, bulky and commercial service

Landfill and sanitation officials presented a combined request on Aug. 16 that included proposed tipping‑fee increases at the Garland landfill and six new sanitation positions to improve backup coverage, reduce reliance on temporary labor and grow commercial accounts.

Landfill fee proposal Sanitation/Landfill Manager Chris (last name in transcript: Hoofnagle/Hoofnego — transcript spelling inconsistent) summarized a proposed 5% increase to several tipping fees. Proposed changes (rounded to even dollar amounts in staff presentation) included raising the municipal gate rate from $45/ton to $47/ton and the construction & demolition (C&D) rate from $60 to $63. Staff said those adjustments would place Garland near the regional median for municipal solid-waste gate fees. The minimum fee would move from $25 to $50; staff noted Garland residents and certain neighboring jurisdictions are not charged at the gate.

Manager Chris said landfill gas‑to‑energy revenue remains stable at about $1 million a year and that past investments (including a grinding machine) have helped reduce airspace usage and operational costs.

Sanitation staffing and rates Sanitation Director Uriel (last name not given) requested six new positions: two sanitation driver floaters (one to support residential routes and one to support brush & bulky/transfer station), three full‑time sanitation helpers for the Brush & Bulky crews (to reduce reliance on temporary labor) and one driver for the commercial services division to support growth. The department said residential collection reliability is high (reported collection rates >99.99%) but backup ratios were low compared with industry norms; the new positions would raise redundancy and improve workforce stability.

Staff proposed rate changes for sanitation services: a $1.90 monthly increase for single residential cart service (from $24.08 to $25.98); an increase to the second/container rate (from $10.10 to $12.10); and a 10% commercial rate increase for front‑load and roll‑off accounts. Staff said commercial operations generate profit used to subsidize the residential program and that commercial revenue growth year‑to‑date supported continued expansion.

Council questions and discussion Councilmembers asked whether higher fees might drive commercial customers to private haulers; staff said Garland’s commercial pricing and municipal reliability historically attract accounts even after modest rate increases. Councilmembers also pressed for data on landfill contract renewals and how contract rates and gate/contract rate spacing should be managed as contracts come up for renewal in the next year.

Ending No votes were taken; staff will return with follow‑up details where requested and include the proposals in the FY26 budget packet.