Ottawa County committee forwards budget adjustments tied to proposed tipping-fee ordinance; hauler talks planned

The Finance Administration Committee on Feb. 10 approved FY2026 budget adjustments that include a $750,000 reduction to projected tipping-fee revenue and a plan to use fund balance to offset the shortfall for the current year.

County staff told the committee the reduction stems from timing and assumptions about when a materials-fee (referred to in discussion as a "used materials fee" or tipping fee) would be implemented. Staff said the county is drafting an ordinance to enable collection and has been meeting with private haulers; the next planned meeting will include both Waste Management and Republic to discuss the countys intent and to gather feedback before returning the ordinance for formal adoption.

During discussion, committee members asked whether haulers have a formal approval role in the ordinance process; staff replied that haulers do not have veto authority, but the county wants to be "good partners" and will continue dialogue. The timeline staff provided called for follow-up with waste haulers in about 2to3 weeks with a view to bringing an ordinance to the board for adoption thereafter. If adopted, staff said the police-power ordinance could take effect immediately and revenue collection could begin the same fiscal year, subject to the adoption date.

Public comment after the treasury report included a statement from Becky Patrick of Allendale, a former regional director at the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality, who said her reading of Part 115 statute Section 81 indicates the county has authority to set tipping fees at any time, independent of the materials-management-plan update.

The committee moved the budget adjustments forward to the Board of Commissioners.