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Committee approves temporary winter hours for residential drop-off yard; debates homeowner cards and scanner enforcement
Summary
The committee voted to approve temporary winter hours for the residential drop-off yard starting Jan. 1, 2026; it also discussed homeowner drop-off cards and scanner-based enforcement and held the card rollout for further technical work.
The Franklin City solid-waste monitoring committee voted to approve a temporary change to residential drop-off yard hours: Monday 8 a.m.–4 p.m., Friday 8 a.m.–4 p.m., and Saturday 7 a.m.–3 p.m., starting Jan. 1, 2026, with the committee set to revisit the schedule at its May 7, 2026 meeting.
Committee members said the hour change was intended to reduce low-winter usage and staffing costs while preserving access on the traditionally busiest weekend day. The motion was read into the record and passed by voice vote.
The same discussion thread considered distributing residential drop-off "cards" to property owners to limit nonresident and commercial use. Staff described a plan to mail access cards with property tax bills, which would restrict the benefit to property owners; staff said renters without a property-tax billing record would not automatically receive cards. Committee members raised several enforcement and fairness issues: renters who live at a taxed address but do not possess the owner's card, commercial users who present homeowner cards, and people using other households' cards.
On technology, staff reported the existing scanner reads IDs but does not currently flag out-of-jurisdiction users. The city IT team is working on an internal application to validate ZIP codes or tax-key numbers against an approved address list; committee members suggested cross-referencing tax-key numbers as the most reliable method for eligibility checks.
Because programming and distribution logistics could not be completed before the imminent tax-bill mailing, committee members voted to hold the card item open until the next meeting so staff can test scanner parameters and report back. Waukesha County staff offered technical assistance with earlier setup and committed to help where possible. Staff also agreed to post signs at the landfill, prepare flyers, and update the DPW webpage to publicize the new hours.
Why it matters: the card program and scanner parameters determine who can access free or included residential disposal and affect traffic, wait times and operational costs at the drop-off yard. The committee balanced administrative ease and enforcement burdens when setting eligibility and rollout timing.
Next steps: staff will continue work on scanner programming, prepare informational materials, and return with a scanner report and a recommended card distribution timeline at the February meeting and a usage update in May.
