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Kootenai County Solid Waste projects $12.8M operating request; seeks two new technician positions
Summary
John Phillips, Solid Waste director, and finance manager Angela Fusier presented a $12.84 million FY26 budget to the Kootenai County Board of Commissioners, driven largely by hauling, fuel and major landfill capital needs and requesting two new solid-waste technician positions to staff new seven‑day sites.
John Phillips, Solid Waste director, and Angela Fusier, the department’s business and finance manager, presented the Solid Waste Department’s proposed FY26 budget to the Kootenai County Board of Commissioners on May 7.
Fusier said the department’s combined A/B/C request totals $12,835,814, with about $7.25 million of that attributable to fuel and hauling contracts. She told the board that recent rate increases already implemented this year are beginning to show in operating revenue but that the property-tax portion of the solid waste fee will not show up until the next tax billing cycle.
“People will be kind of going back and forth between different areas to keep it covered. It is a 7 day a week position,” Fusier said when describing staffing needs for new service areas at Ramsey and a planned Wolf Lodge rural site. “We’re getting over 200 visits a day so far.”
The department asked for two new full-time entry-level solid waste technician positions to staff an express household-drop-off area at Ramsey Transfer Station and the future Wolf Lodge rural site; Fusier said those positions were not included in the numeric budget figures she presented because wages are determined separately by the board.
On capital, Fusier said the department proposes a new landfill compactor (budgeted at about $1,400,000) and an estimated $4,000,000 for closure material and associated engineering for a 12‑acre closure area. Other capital items include transfer trailers, a new forklift, and site improvements funded largely from carry-forward funds. She also noted higher costs for inspections and a new annual fee tied to “tier 1” landfill gas permitting.
Commissioners asked for clarifications on fuel and hauling assumptions; Fusier said she budgeted diesel at $3.50 per gallon as an average and reduced motor-fuels/lubricants compared with prior assumptions in expectation prices will ease. She also described a $935,138 interfund charge that covers county services the enterprise pays for (auditor, HR, IT, sheriff patrols of rural sites and others).
After questions, Fusier asked for permission to forward the department’s materials to the county auditor for review. The board gave unanimous permission to proceed.
The presentation will now move to the auditor’s office for the statutorily required review and the department will return for formal budget deliberations later this summer.
Ending: The board authorized staff to forward the Solid Waste budget to the auditor for review; staffing requests will return to the board during budget deliberations when wages and positions are finalized.
