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Montgomery County proposes small per-ton fee increase; Huber Heights to consider ratification Monday
Summary
Montgomery County Solid Waste District officials presented a five-year plan that would raise the per-ton generation fee from $3.00 to $3.65 in February 2026 and apply a 6% annual indexing; Huber Heights council agreed to move ratification to the next regular meeting.
Montgomery County Solid Waste District representative John Meniere told the Huber Heights City Council at its April 8 work session that the district plans a modest fee increase to avoid a projected 2026 deficit and to sustain recycling and hazardous-waste programs. "The fee increase that will begin in 02/2026, if our plan is approved, is going to be 65¢ a ton, or it'll move from $3 to $3.65 a ton," Meniere said.
The plan is a five-year update to the county's solid-waste management plan, with 20 years of disposal modeling and programs to meet state goals set when Ohio created solid-waste districts. Meniere said the district currently meets the state goal to divert about 25% of combined residential and commercial waste, reporting a county recycling rate of roughly 25.6% and industrial recycling near 92%.
Meniere explained the fiscal drivers for the fee change: rising costs in household hazardous waste and electronics recycling programs and a projected drawdown of reserves. He said the district’s financial advisory committee settled on the 65¢ increase and a 6% annual indexing, which he estimated would translate to about 22–23¢ of impact to a typical household per year (the average household generates about a ton of garbage a year). "So the impact to the residents is gonna be about 65¢ a year or about 5¢ a month," Meniere said.
The presentation described cost-control measures the district is taking, such as program adjustments and a new paint diversion partnership with Matthew 25 Ministries to take paint at no cost. The district also noted steep increases in electronics-processing costs (from about $45,000 annually in 2019 to about $190,000 now) and said it is pursuing new vendors and bidding to reduce those expenses.
Huber Heights staff indicated the city would be asked to ratify the Montgomery County plan at the council's next regular meeting; council members raised no objections to moving that ratification to Monday. Council discussion focused on impacts to residents (described by Meniere as small) and on ways municipalities can partner on education or special collection events.
If the Huber Heights council ratifies the plan, the district's schedule would implement the fee change beginning February 2026 and apply the automated annual increases in later years.
