Landfill seeks permanent scale‑house position; managers outline credit‑card fee issues and equipment needs

Landfill management requested that the commission approve converting a temporary scale‑house position to full time and described software and equipment issues affecting operations and revenue reconciliation.

Lede: Landfill staff asked commissioners to convert a temporary scale‑house role into a third full‑time position to ensure consistent staffing for customer and commercial truck throughput; staff said the department budgeted $30,000 for the temporary position and estimated adding the full-time position would increase costs by roughly $18,200 for salary and benefits.

Nut graf: Managers also raised concerns about rising credit-card processing fees tied to the landfill’s WasteWorks system and the vendor OpenEdge; they said the software stack limits payment‑processor options. Staff said they will demo an alternative system (Total Scales) to explore lower fees and better integration with county accounting.

Details on scale house: Landfill manager Dylan Evans said the third full‑time scale‑house position would improve customer flow, help cover vacations and weekends, and improve internal efficiencies. "By having that third person full time creates it so you have 2 people in there all the time to answer questions, to take care of both sides…so it really helps move the lines along for customers," said Aubrey Lewis, management assistant.

Credit‑card fees and software: Staff said their current vendor relationship (WasteWorks/OpenEdge) resulted in a sharp fee increase as volume rose. "With increased usage, the fee went way up at, like, more than double," Aubrey Lewis said. Staff said they are arranging a demo with Total Scales to evaluate alternatives and that OpenEdge has indicated it will negotiate fees if the county elects to stay with the current provider.

Equipment and remediation: Landfill staff described a potential purchase or lease of a Pozzi Shell remediation machine to treat plume discharge and reduce long‑term remediation costs; staff presented two options: a roughly $135,000 purchase (including transportation and two weeks’ training) or an approximately $48,000 annual lease. Staff also recommended work on remediation pilot studies and suggested increasing remediation budget authority to pursue injection‑site fixes that could reduce sampling and treatment needs over time.

Revenue and operations: Managers reported that revenue has been trending up, producing some fiscal flexibility for capital purchases in a strong year, but cautioned that revenue fluctuates across multi‑year cycles and that capital timing should consider revenue trends. No formal commission action was recorded in the transcript during the meeting; staff asked commissioners to include placeholders in the clerk’s recommendation and return with final figures.