Lane County warns solid-waste fund at risk as haulers export trash to private landfill; staff proposes rate cut, franchising and audit
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Summary
County staff told commissioners that exportation of waste to a private landfill has cut Short Mountain revenues by roughly $5.17 million and left an ongoing structural deficit; staff proposed meeting Waste Connections at $100/ton, pursuing franchising/flow control, auditing export volumes and preparing service-reduction options for the budget.
County public works staff told the Lane County Board of Commissioners on March 31 that exportation of locally collected solid waste to a private landfill in White City has sharply reduced revenues supporting the county's public solid-waste services and put the Short Mountain Landfill enterprise fund at risk.
In a presentation, staff said the county saw a $5,170,000 revenue reduction in the solid-waste fund in the last fiscal year and is projecting an annual structural deficit of more than $2 million going forward, driven by a shift of waste to a private landfill owned by Waste Connections. The presentation said a significant portion of fee revenue that has historically paid for 15 county transfer stations, recycling, household hazardous-waste disposal and other services is now collected outside Lane County.
Staff described several policy and near-term options: continue negotiations with Waste Connections and its subsidiaries to return locally collected waste to Short Mountain; offer a temporary reduction in the county's tipping fee (the proposal discussed would lower the Short Mountain rate from $112/ton to $100/ton) in exchange for returned volume; launch an audit of hauler records to quantify unremitted system-benefit fees for unincorporated areas; and explore franchising or flow-control authority for unincorporated Lane County. Staff also warned the board that, absent a negotiated return of volume, the county will need to consider closure of three to five transfer stations, cuts to services and adjustments to transfer-station hours and fees as part of the upcoming budget process.
Rob Bovette, county counsel, summarized recent negotiations and presented a conceptual offer to match the Dry Creek/White City landfill's effective rate (the county's proposed $100/ton would align with a $100 rate Waste Connections indicated it will charge at Dry Creek effective 07/01/2026). Bovette and staff made clear that lowering the tipping fee would reduce county revenue and still require some program adjustments, but they argued the move could preserve core public services by restoring local volume.
Commissioners pressed staff for data on how much of the revenue loss is attributable to Waste Connections versus other haulers and asked staff to return with further analysis. Multiple commissioners supported continuing negotiations, requested an audit of Waste Connections records for unincorporated areas, and asked staff to explore franchising and flow-control options; head nods indicated majority support for negotiation, analysis of alternative pricing, and an audit; franchising and flow-control received narrower support and were identified as topics for further study.
The presentation also compared landfill monitoring and environmental measures, noting Short Mountain monitors approximately 92% of its area for methane while the privately owned Dry Creek site was shown in staff slides as having a substantially higher proportion of unmonitored area. Staff emphasized that the county's tipping fee includes a substantial system-benefit component that pays for public services that private landfills do not provide.
Next steps identified by staff include weekly negotiations with Waste Connections if needed, an audit of unremitted system-benefit fees, analysis of alternative pricing structures, a public process to study franchising/flow control, and potential service reductions to be considered during the county's budget work this spring.
Claims and key figures quoted in the meeting: staff cited a $5,170,000 revenue loss in the solid-waste fund in the prior fiscal year and a projected structural deficit exceeding $2,000,000 per year; staff also noted Short Mountain's current composite tipping fee of $112/ton (disposal ~$51.34 + system-benefit and planning fees) and the proposed offer to reduce it to $100/ton. Commissioners asked for more granular allocation data and for an audit to quantify unpaid system-benefit fees.
