Atchison County OKs $150,000 solid waste budget amendment and reestablishes tipping fees

The Atchison County Board of Commissioners on Nov. 18 approved a $150,000 amendment to the 2025 solid waste budget and adopted a resolution reestablishing tipping fees at the county solid waste facility.

Chair opened a public hearing on the amendment, saying higher-than-expected trash and recycling tonnage and an unplanned chute repair required additional budget authority. The chair said the department had budgeted $35,000 for capital outlay to replace a trailer but instead used those funds and an extra $24,257 for an unexpected chute repair that totaled $59,257. The board adopted the requested $150,000 amendment; the chair stated the department’s previously adopted solid waste expenditures were $1,095,888.

The commission also approved a purchase order for Murphy Tractor and Equipment to rebuild a leaking rear cylinder on a backhoe at a cost of $3,137.40 to be charged against the solid waste budget.

Separately, the board read and approved a resolution establishing per-ton tipping fees at the Atchison County Solid Waste Facility to take effect Jan. 1, 2026. As read aloud by the chair, the rates are: “Municipal solid waste trash, $50.17 per ton. Recycling, $103 per ton. Construction and demolition debris, $50 per ton.” The resolution reaffirms the existing construction-and-demolition fee and exempts municipally sanctioned demolition as determined by the governing body. It directs the solid waste department to issue monthly itemized invoices to haulers and remit revenues to the county treasurer.

The board approved both the budget amendment and the tipping-fee resolution by unanimous votes.