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Thurston County amends landfill operations code to move solid-waste rates to board resolution
Summary
The Board of County Commissioners adopted an ordinance amending Thurston County Code chapter 8.12 on Nov. 4 that removes solid waste rates from the code and authorizes the board to set and adjust rates by resolution. Solid Waste Manager Jeff Bickford said the change is administrative and will not itself change current rates; a rate resolution for
The Thurston County Board of County Commissioners on Nov. 4 adopted an ordinance amending Thurston County Code chapter 8.12 (sanitary landfill operations) to remove solid-waste rate tables from code and authorize the board to set or adjust rates by resolution.
Solid Waste Division Manager Jeff Bickford told the board the proposed ordinance is intended to provide a more streamlined process for periodic rate adjustments so the county need not amend code each time rates change. "The proposed ordinance is an administrative change only and will not by itself affect or adjust current solid waste rates," Bickford said. He added that a proposed resolution with a rate sheet for 2026 and 2027 will be submitted to the board later in the budget process.
The public hearing on the ordinance drew no in-person or remote testimony; staff said the Solid Waste Advisory Committee had reviewed the proposal and recommended approval. The board closed the hearing and voted to adopt the ordinance; the chair announced the vote carried unanimously.
Why it matters: Moving rate tables into a board resolution can speed rate-setting and make adjustments administratively simpler, but it also concentrates discretion in the board rather than in the code. Staff will present a proposed resolution with specific rates for the board's consideration and public review as part of the 2026–27 budget process.
Next steps: A rate resolution for 2026 and 2027 will be brought to the board later this year in coordination with the budget process.
