Counties urge modest solid‑waste tax increase to stabilize services

House staff briefed the committee that HB 20 18 would raise the solid‑waste collection excise tax by 0.5 percentage points each year for five years, reaching 6.1% in 2030, and deposit the revenue into a new Local Government Solid Waste Assistance Account for distribution to eligible counties and cities. Funds would be distributed with 50% shared equally among counties and 50% distributed per capita; counties must use the revenue to implement solid‑waste management plans and will report annually for eligibility verification.