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Herriman leaders cite cost savings as city moves to leave district, buy into Trans Jordan landfill
Summary
Councilmember Sherry Orin said the city issued an RFP and plans to withdraw from the Wasatch Front Waste and Recycling District after a rate increase, and the council approved a multi-year buy-in to join the Trans Jordan landfill to secure lower tipping fees and long-term disposal capacity.
Herriman Councilmember Sherry Orin said the city is pursuing two waste-related changes aimed at lowering long-term costs for residents: withdrawing from the Wasatch Front Waste and Recycling District and buying into the Trans Jordan landfill membership.
"The savings are pretty substantial that our residents…could realize," Orin said, describing a request for proposals the city issued to the private market earlier this year to compare service options. She said a recent district rate increase and Herriman’s household cost made the city revisit whether the district remained the best option.
Orin said withdrawal is not automatic because Herriman is part of a special service district. "There has to be a withdrawal process and a negotiation so that, you know, obviously, they've bought trucks and cans and incurred expenses to service our community," she said, describing the need for compensation so the district is not left insolvent.
Separately, the council approved joining the Trans Jordan Cities membership under a buy-in arrangement the officials described on the podcast. Orin said the buy-in would be structured as four annual payments of $100,000 followed by a period when nonmember tipping fees would apply until the buy-in is repaid; after repayment the city would receive member tipping rates. "This allows us to have ownership in a landfill for 80 to a hundred years," she said, characterizing it as securing long-term disposal capacity for future generations.
City officials and hosts also noted the current landfill Herriman residents use is expected to reach capacity in roughly seven years, at which point it may operate as a transfer station that compacts local trash for transport to a different site.
Officials said the decisions were presented at the June 25 council meeting; podcast hosts said there were "two significant decisions last night" related to garbage service. The discussion focused on cost comparisons, procurement through an RFP, legal constraints of withdrawing from a special service district, and long-term disposal planning.
Next steps: city staff and negotiators will work through the withdrawal process with the district to determine fair compensation for infrastructure and finalize terms of the Trans Jordan buy-in as the city moves to implement the council’s decision.
