Jefferson County hears solid‑waste update as revenue and tonnage fall after hauler departure

Jefferson County commissioners heard a detailed solid‑waste operations update from county staff on routine items and changes since the county's primary hauling contractor stopped service.

Brandy, the county solid‑waste staff member who delivered the report, said the county completed its first month without the previous large hauler and has seen both revenue and tonnage decline from the prior year. "The revenue is way down from last year," Brandy said, adding that the county has seen a modest increase in commercial loads from neighboring counties but not enough to replace lost volume.

The presentation listed several operational points commissioners said they would monitor. Staff reported the landfill continues to operate fixed equipment and personnel levels (Brandy said there are about 11 full‑time and one part‑time employees on the solid‑waste crew), so lower throughput does not immediately translate to fewer labor costs. Commissioners asked staff to prepare a monthly total‑cost analysis for operating the County Line landfill to decide if fees or staffing should be adjusted.

Brandy described administrative cleanup work underway, including drone surveying at County Line and Circular View landfill sites to satisfy financial‑assurance requirements. She told commissioners that Bonneville would chip the County Line wood pile to reduce weather exposure and clean up the site before winter.

Commissioners and staff also discussed recurring small customer credits dating from as far back as 2009. Staff said most credits are nominal; commissioners directed staff to verify whether businesses tied to older credits remain active and to send checks where appropriate.

Illegal dumping and roadside litter drew attention during the update. Brandy said staff sometimes respond to citizen reports (for example, refrigerators or tires dumped in county right‑of‑way). The county's counsel and commissioners agreed the sheriff's office should be contacted for enforcement; commissioners also acknowledged the county sometimes undertakes cleanup to prevent neighborhoods from becoming blighted.

Looking ahead, commissioners asked staff to return with clearer budget projections for the landfill and a plan for how smaller out‑of‑county loads should be treated in future fee schedules. Brandy said one near‑term operational change would be monitoring compactor and scraper runtimes as volumes fall; she emphasized many landfill costs are fixed and recommended cautious staffing decisions rather than immediate layoffs.

The county will continue to track tonnage, revenue and incoming commercial loads and expects to revisit rates and staffing in future budget discussions.