Livingston to bring curbside hauling in‑house, approves purchase of used truck; staff plan service changes

The Livingston City Commission voted to move the city’s curbside solid‑waste hauling into city control and approved buying a used Peterbilt truck to begin hauling to regional landfills, city staff said.

The decision follows a two‑year technical review by Herrera Environmental that compared four options for managing municipal solid waste: status quo (city operation with Republic Services hauling under short extensions), city hauling to the Logan landfill, city hauling to Billings, and a private hauler performing curbside service. The Herrera analysis produced net‑present‑value and per‑ton cost comparisons; city staff told commissioners hauling city loads to Logan produced the lowest long‑term cost per ton.

Why it matters: Livingston currently operates a transfer station and curbside collection but has been relying on an external hauler for some transport and for some contracted services. City leaders said bringing curbside hauling in‑house would reduce long‑term costs, improve schedule control, and allow staff to expand local recycling and composting initiatives.

Staff and financial details: City Manager Grant Gager summarized Herrera’s findings and told commissioners the city’s current residential curbside charge is $25.20 per month. The proposal from the current provider (Republic Services) for taking over curbside service would have billed the city $25 per residence; under that model the city would have retained customer‑service responsibility while losing control of roll‑offs, the public scale, recycling and green‑waste programs. City staff told the commission outsourcing curbside alone would leave uncovered overhead costs that would have to be recovered either by raising per‑ton fees for open‑scale customers or by increasing a per‑account surcharge. Staff estimated the incremental cost to fully recover overhead if the city outsourced curbside would be roughly $195 per account per year (about $16 per month per household).

Commission action and equipment purchase: Commissioners authorized purchase order 20162 for a used Peterbilt 389 chassis and approved using the solid‑waste fund balance to buy the truck, enabling the city to begin hauling operations once it obtains necessary transport licensing. City staff said they have applied to the state public‑service commission for the vehicle and driver permits required for over‑the‑road hauling.

Operations and service changes: Van, the city’s solid‑waste superintendent, told the commission staff have regularly had to close the transfer station when outside trailers were delayed or unavailable; he recommended acquiring a third trailer to provide operational buffer in winter and during interruptions on I‑90. “If we have three trailers, even if the pass is shut down for a day, we will have enough storage at our facility,” Van said. Staff also described plans to expand Saturday transfer‑station hours, to explore food‑waste composting modeled on other Montana facilities, and to formalize construction‑waste reuse options.

Landfill capacity and hauling destination: Gager and staff said the Logan landfill has capacity for Livingston’s projected volumes and has a multi‑decade plan; city staff and landfill representatives have discussed composting of biosolids and other collaborative efforts.

Funding and staffing: The city will fund the initial truck purchase from the solid‑waste fund balance; staff said the operation will be run with existing public‑works employees and reallocation of hours rather than immediate new hires. The solid‑waste superintendent said employees on the team are trained to operate the trucks and to handle winter conditions.

Voices at the meeting: Public‑works Director Shannon Holmes and Solid Waste Superintendent Van answered operational questions; Herrera’s analysis and staff recommendations were presented by City Manager Grant Gager. Friends of Park County and several residents who testified on other items did not oppose the solid‑waste plan at the meeting.

Ending: The commission approved in‑house hauling and the truck purchase by roll call. Staff said they will return with any additional operational details, and that hauling will begin after the city obtains required permits and readies the new vehicle and an additional trailer.