Public works flags sharp solid-waste cost rise after local facility fire; committee to hold $250,000 placeholder

Lester Myers, director of public works, and department staff told the budget committee that solid-waste disposal costs have risen materially since the town’s usual processing site closed after a fire, forcing temporary hauling to Mercer County.

"July's invoice just for Mercer County was 19,000," a public works staff member said, describing recent monthly invoices in the $15,000–$19,000 range for trash and roughly $3,000 per month for county recycling. Committee members and finance staff calculated a conservative placeholder near $250,000 for 2026 solid-waste contractual spending while they gathered vendor backup and modeled revenue offsets.

The team also reviewed public works operating lines—vehicle maintenance, other equipment and parts—and recommended modest reductions in maintenance lines where two new garbage trucks had reduced near-term capital pressure. Staff asked for a committed follow-up to provide the committee with detailed backup for monthly disposal invoices, per-ton disposal costs and any long-term vendor alternatives.

Why it matters: Solid-waste disposal is a major recurrent expense and can materially affect the operating budget; short-term vendor constraints and emergency routing can create unplanned outsized expenditures.

Next steps: Finance will request the full vendor backup (monthly invoices and per-ton costs), model the 2026 impact under different vendor scenarios, and report back to the committee before the budget introduction so the placeholder can be adjusted.