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Lincoln council approves landfill disposal fee increase tied to state law LB247
Summary
The City Council unanimously approved a pass-through increase to the landfill disposal fee to cover a state-imposed surcharge under LB247. The charge will rise from $1.25 to $2.34 per ton effective July 1, increasing the city's annual payment to the state from about $378,350 to roughly $700,000 based on current tonnage.
The Lincoln City Council on Monday voted unanimously to adopt a new rate schedule for the Bluff Road landfill that passes through a state-imposed disposal fee increase enacted in LB247.
The increase adds $1.09 per ton to the existing $1.25 disposal fee, resulting in a total fee of $2.34 per ton effective July 1. Liz Elliott, director of Lincoln Transportation and Utilities, told the council the change is a passthrough of a state charge collected at all 22 licensed landfills in Nebraska and that the additional revenue is intended primarily for Superfund site cleanup and related state programs under the amended statute.
"This is a fee that is collected at all 22 licensed landfills here in Nebraska," Elliott said. She said the city’s current annual remittance at the $1.25 rate is about $378,350; with the added $1.09, the city’s annual payment would be about $700,000 based on recent average tonnage.
Elliott said the city will notify waste haulers directly and send letters this week or next so haulers can adjust billing systems. She also noted a 15-day waiting period for fee changes, but because the new fee is not scheduled to take effect until July 1 that interval will be cleared before the charge is applied.
Council members asked how the rate was calculated and who bears the cost. One council member observed the increase was "almost double," and Elliott confirmed the near-doubling but emphasized the city has no choice because the increase is set by state law and applies statewide. She said the state statute directs the allocation of funds to specific cleanup and recycling programs and that some grant funds may flow back to local agencies.
The motion to adopt the new rate schedule was introduced by Councilmember Weber and passed on a roll call vote of 7-0. Recorded votes for the motion were: Beckias — yes; Weber — yes; Bowers — yes; Carlson — yes; Duden — yes; Schaub — yes; Washington — yes.
Because the charge is a state pass-through, Elliott said the city is not retaining the additional revenue; the change simply increases the amount the city remits to the state on a periodic basis. Letters to haulers and an implementation timeline will follow in the coming weeks.
