Hubbard County solid waste staff propose 11% assessment increase amid tipping‑fee and reuse‑center costs

Hubbard County solid waste staff told county commissioners during a work session they are proposing an 11% increase to the residential solid waste assessment for 2026 to cover higher disposal and operating costs.

The proposal would raise the residential assessment from $221 to $245. "So with the preliminary budget, we're factoring in a proposal to increase the solid waste assessment 11% for 2026," said Josh, Solid Waste staff. He told commissioners the change responds to rising tipping fees and other costs.

The department attributed the bulk of the pressure to increased tipping fees charged by the county they use for demolition and nonburnable material disposal. "Tipping fees, over the last year have increased from $80 a ton in 2024 to $92 a ton in 2025," Josh said. He said the department had budgeted lower tipping fees in last year's planning and that the change added pressure.

Why it matters: county staff said the increase would help rebuild reserves and pay near‑term capital needs tied to landfill planning, regulatory uncertainty and a reuse‑center project. The reuse center has driven requests for equipment and staff changes; Josh said the county plans to add a regular part‑time position and a second supervisor in the solid waste department to handle reuse‑center operations.

Department details and grants: Josh outlined proposed equipment and grant spending in the department's March budget package, including a projected $908,000 in grant revenue that he later said he expects to increase by $250,000 if competitive grant applications succeed. He described $340,000 planned equipment purchases that he may increase to $450,000 if grants are awarded to buy containers or a screener for processing wood and shingles.

On capital and repayment options, Josh said a reuse‑center construction estimate of roughly $1.25 million is partially covered by an existing grant of approximately $658,000 and a potential additional grant of about $170,000. He proposed one option to make the budget balance: delay a $150,000 annual repayment the fund currently makes for previous landfill cover work for one year and seek additional grants, then repay more in 2027 if necessary.

Tipping fee structure and regional context: Josh displayed the county's proposed 2026 tipping fee schedule and compared it to nearby counties, saying Hubbard County generally is at or below neighboring rates. He cautioned that some revenue — rental of the department's horizontal grinder to other counties after storm events — is irregular and difficult to forecast. "We don't really have agreements in place yet," he said, describing the unpredictability of rental income.

Regulatory uncertainty and longer‑term needs: Staff flagged Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) rule changes as a potential future cost driver; Josh said longer‑term capital planning must account for possible new MPCA requirements. He also outlined the large estimated cost to build a county construction and demolition lined landfill alone (about $9.8 million, per a 2023 study), and said regional cooperation (a multi‑county hub) would likely be more feasible than a single‑county project.

Board next steps: Josh said if competitive grant bids come through and the county delays the $150,000 repayment for a year, the assessment increase could be reduced from the proposed 11% to roughly 9% (about $241 annually). Commissioners asked clarifying questions about which fee lines reflect revenues and which reflect expenses during the presentation; staff clarified accounting codes and that revenue accounts begin with a different numeric range than expense accounts.

Ending: County staff will refine the March budget and return with updated numbers; commissioners instructed staff to include the reuse‑center grant scenarios and the repayment‑deferral option in the March budget package for further review.