The Linn County Board of Commissioners voted unanimously to reject the current construction contracts for a proposed transfer station and tipping floor at the county landfill after hearing detailed bids and engineering cost estimates.

Why it matters: Staff and the contractor presented a construction estimate around $1.7 million plus roughly $91,000 in engineering/inspection and an additional equipment budget in the low hundreds of thousands, pushing total project planning estimates to approximately $2.3 million. Commissioners said that total exceeded earlier studies and the county's available ARPA and contingency funds and ordered staff to pause acceptance of these bids.

What was presented: Call Valley and project engineers reviewed scope and costs (site grading, retaining walls, concrete work, compaction equipment, and material testing). Staff also flagged unresolved items: whether the electrical service required a new transformer or could be an add-on, how the contractor calculates per-ton rock and placement, and the timeline for bids to remain valid. Commissioners pressed for clearer line-item pricing, the likely scope of change orders, and estimates for equipment replacement and existing compactor repairs.

Board action and rationale: After discussion commissioners made and seconded a motion "that we don't accept the contracts for the new transfer station at the landfill." The motion passed by voice vote. Several commissioners said they favored reallocating ARPA or equipment-reserve dollars toward essential equipment replacement, compactor box repairs, and the vertical cell expansion (to increase landfill capacity) instead of moving forward with the current construction contracts at the proposed price.

Next steps: Staff was directed to prepare a prioritized list of equipment purchases (hook trucks, trailer units, compactor controls), a reimbursement plan for recent container repairs that may be eligible for ARPA reimbursement, and a clearer estimate for the cell vertical expansion so the board can decide whether to phase purchases or return to construction at a later date.