Hubbard County board approves higher 2026 solid‑waste assessment, adopts amended fee schedule

Hubbard County commissioners voted to approve the county’s proposed 2026 solid‑waste assessment and to adopt an amended fee schedule after a public hearing with no public commenters.

The board approved a plan proposed by solid waste staff to raise the residential assessment to about $245 for 2026, an increase described by staff as roughly 11% from the current rate. Solid waste director Josh told the board: “My recommendation will be to approve the 2026 solid waste assessment, as attached.” He said the raise is driven by higher tipping fees charged by neighboring disposal facilities, higher hauling costs under a new contract, wage and benefits increases, rising equipment operating costs and a need to build the fund balance ahead of anticipated MPCA rules that could close unlined landfills.

Commissioners pressed staff about the scale of multi‑year increases and the staffing proposal. One commissioner noted the assessment has grown substantially over several years and urged examination of added full‑time equivalents; Josh responded that recent increases also reflect a deliberate accounting shift to show capital payback and true program costs on the assessment rather than hiding them in the general fund. Josh also described an alternate approach discussed at a work session—delaying a $150,000 general‑fund repayment to lower the assessment to roughly $238 for next year, an option that would reduce the levy but would shift budget pressure onto the general fund.

The board opened a public hearing on the broader county fee schedule, received no public comments, and discussed parity for nonresident park and environmental fees. Commissioners moved to round the out‑of‑county household fee to $3.10 (transcript shows both $3.05 and $3.10 as rounding variants discussed) and to adopt the fee schedule with that adjustment; the amendment and the schedule were approved.

Why it matters: solid‑waste assessments are paid by property owners and are often set as an enterprise fee to recover program costs. County officials said the change makes the cost of solid‑waste services more transparent to taxpayers and moves capital payback for landfill projects into the solid‑waste assessment so the program is more financially self‑sustaining.

What’s next: staff will finalize assessment and fee schedule paperwork and return budget figures as part of the county’s upcoming budget hearings. If the county chooses to delay the capital payback, elected officials would need to identify where to absorb that cost in the general fund in future budgets.