Vanderburgh County Solid Waste Board approves tire-collection contract, discusses storm-debris cleanup costs

The Vanderburgh County Solid Waste Management District Board approved minutes from its Feb. 11 meeting, extended a tire-collection agreement with Environmental Enterprises for a fall event set for Sept. 6, and voted to approve accounts-payable vouchers. Board members spent the bulk of discussion considering whether the district should absorb costs the county incurred after residents used emergency storm-debris drop-off sites.

Board members said the county garage provided preliminary cost figures from the drop-off events. “We took, let's see, 50 loads … That was $3,750,” a board member reported, and added a cleanup charge of $1,610.79 for rock and touch-up at the fairgrounds, bringing the total reported cost to $5,360.79. The board did not decide to pay that amount at the meeting; members said they will wait for final invoices before acting.

Why it matters: The Solid Waste District holds funds intended to support county-wide waste management operations. A board member said the district’s balance is “a little over a million dollars,” and also read a figure shown in meeting materials as $11,100,000; the discrepancy in the figures was not resolved during the meeting. Board members said, however, that the district likely has the capacity to cover the storm-debris costs once final numbers are confirmed.

The board voted on three routine motions at the start of the meeting. The board approved the Feb. 11 minutes by voice vote; approved an extension of the agreement with Environmental Enterprises to collect automobile and light-truck tires at the fall collection event on Sept. 6; and approved accounts-payable vouchers that were circulated at the meeting. Each motion carried by voice vote with no opposition recorded on the transcript.

During general business, board members introduced Emma Lonberg, identified by the meeting as a new employee at the Solid Waste District who had been on the job about three weeks. Members also discussed logistics at county drop-off sites used after recent storms — notably Roberts and the county fairgrounds — and said they had received positive public feedback that residents were able to bring debris for disposal. One board member said the contractor that ground trees at one site planned to reuse the mulch, which the board said would reduce net disposal costs.

Several board members asked the district fiscal and operations staff to bring final invoices and any encumbrance details to the next meeting before the board takes formal action on paying the county’s cleanup charges. One member said there are encumbrances for upcoming purchases, including an item referenced in the meeting as electronics and another as tuxedo day (phrasing in the transcript), together described as roughly $160,000; the board requested a final accounting of those encumbrances and the current fund balance before approving any transfer.

Separately, Todd Chamberlain offered to lead a tour for councilmember Raven, Commissioner Alpers and other members to review site conditions at a county facility where board members said mud and dust on adjacent Saint Joe Avenue remain a problem. The tour was proposed for a Thursday at 2 p.m.; participants said they would confirm attendance.

The board adjourned at 8:41 a.m.

Votes at a glance: - Approval of minutes from Feb. 11, 2025 — motion made and seconded; outcome: approved (voice vote). - Approval of agreement with Environmental Enterprises for collection, transportation and recycling of automobile and light-truck tires (fall collection event, Sept. 6) — motion made and seconded; outcome: approved (voice vote). - Approval of accounts-payable vouchers — motion made and seconded; outcome: approved (voice vote).

(Details above are based on the meeting transcript; the board requested final invoices and accounting before taking any payment action related to storm-debris cleanup.)