Leavenworth leaders weigh keeping trash collection in-house as trucks, staffing strain service

Leavenworth City staff told the City Commission on a solid-waste study-item that ongoing equipment failures, driver shortages and long haul disposal trips have made the current trash collection system “not sustainable.” Brian, a city staff member overseeing solid waste operations, said the city has six collection trucks but typically only five are operational and the workforce fluctuates, leading to repeated service delays.

The solid-waste discussion centered on two broad options: keep refuse collection as a municipal service with additional investment (more trucks, more staffing, and a local transfer station), or privatize collection under contract. City staff recommended commissioners pick a long-term path so staff can plan budgets, capital needs and service changes. Roberta, a staff member who ran the rate calculations, said providing two additional trucks and three staff would raise the monthly household rate from $19.89 to about $22.14 (an 11.3% increase) in 2026 to cover operations and scheduled truck replacement.

City staff framed why the issue matters now: trucks run 10–12 hours across stop-and-go urban routes and must currently drive to a Shawnee disposal site, adding heavy mileage that accelerates wear. Brian said weather, holiday schedules and equipment breakdowns have repeatedly delayed routes; on some weeks multiple trucks were down simultaneously. He also said the city often cannot use the county transfer station and instead must route loads to Shawnee.

Commissioners and staff discussed options to limit pickup of loose items, strictly enforce container rules, or move to biweekly collection to reduce strain. Scott, a city staff member who offered legal guidance, cautioned about content-based restrictions on public speech while addressing a different agenda item earlier in the meeting, but during the solid-waste discussion the legal remarks focused on administrative discretion rather than statute.

Roberta described disposal-cost comparisons staff has tracked: current Shawnee costs were described in the discussion as roughly $38 per ton for the city’s current route, while the county transfer station cost cited was about $62–$64 per ton. Commissioners asked staff to evaluate whether a local transfer station on a city-owned or city-controlled property could lower long-term disposal costs and reduce truck mileage. Staff said the property under discussion sits near Lansing city limits and could function as a transfer station but would require planning and possibly a private partner to build and operate it.

Commissioners asked for a short-term and long-term financial analysis. Mayor Holly Pittman and Commissioners expressed a preference to study in-house options first but asked staff to include privatization scenarios in the comparison. Staff said they will return in a few months with rate-structure frameworks, capital cost estimates for a transfer station, operational cost comparisons for privatization, and recommendations on service rules enforcement.

The commission did not vote on policy changes at the meeting; instead staff were directed to compile detailed options and cost estimates for follow-up. The staff timeline included producing rate scenarios and site/build options for the transfer-station concept ahead of the budget discussions later in the summer.