Muskegon County Public Works board approves service contracts, solar‑farm easement and township agreements

MUSKEGON COUNTY, Mich. — The Muskegon County Public Works Board on Nov. 24 approved a slate of administrative and contracting items that will affect local waste services, municipal revenue-sharing and construction work for a nearby solar farm.

In routine business the board voted to approve the meeting agenda and the Nov. 7 minutes before moving into contract and program items. The board approved a motion to waive certain procurement requirements and to award a FY25 litter‑cleanup contract to the vendor named in the packet (transcript text: "kill technology services"). The item was presented by staff and carried after brief clarification that the item should be labeled "FY" rather than "CY." The board recorded the motion as approved.

Public Works staff described the county's annual "Free Dump Day" program, under which residents may bring bulky items to municipal collection points and have them accepted free of charge at the county facility. "We generally do it in the spring where they can put a dumpster out at their public works garage or their city hall," Wayband Busch, Public Works Director, said in explaining the program. The board approved waiving ticket fees for that program to enable municipalities to participate.

The board also accepted a low quote from DHF Disposal to haul waste grease from the Resource Recovery Center to the Muskegon County Landfill and amended that award to include the Resource Recovery Center's request to permit "the possibility of up to 2 1‑year extensions if mutually agreeable to both parties and approved by the Board of Public Works," as Dave Jones of the Resource Recovery Center asked at the meeting. The motion as amended was approved. The transcript contains inconsistent numeric renderings for the per‑trip price (parts of the record read as "$225 no cents per trip" while other lines read as "$2.25" or similar); staff did not supply a clarified dollar figure on the record during the meeting and the exact per‑trip amount is noted below as not fully specified in the transcript.

The board authorized an easement to allow Great Lakes Energy to extend power temporarily to support construction trailers and equipment for a solar farm and substation adjacent to county property. A county presenter described the easement as limited to construction‑phase power needs for the solar project; the board authorized the chair to sign the agreement.

Separately, staff brought forward renewed fire‑service agreements with Moreland Township (and indicated a similar agreement for an additional township will return next month). Staff said the last agreements were in the range of about $63,000 per municipality and that the new proposed payment is $80,000 per township to reflect cost increases; Resource Recovery Center and Solid Waste budgets will be amended to accommodate the change. Staff also explained that landfill law requires the county to pay municipal tipping fees and that the service agreements are an alternate payment mechanism.

Board members asked questions about local pricing differences on bids and coordination with municipalities on scheduling for the free‑dump program; staff said municipalities set their own dates and hours and that the county posts consolidated information on the county website. During public comment a member requested photos of solar‑farm progress; staff said they would try to include photos in the next monthly report.

What happens next: the board directed staff to prepare the budget amendments to reflect the township agreements and will return any remaining township contracts for board action in a subsequent meeting. The solar‑farm easement was authorized for chair signature. The Resource Recovery Center award to DHF Disposal was approved with the added extension language; staff should confirm and publish the precise per‑trip pricing in the contract documentation.