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Recycling and solid waste department seeks higher hauling and maintenance funds, requests truck outfitting
Summary
Director Joe Gerard told the committee dumpster hauling costs have climbed because haulers charge per‑ton overweight fees, and he sought funds to outfit a pickup with a plow and salt spreader plus a new loading‑dock plate due to safety concerns.
Joe Gerard, recycling and solid waste supervisor, presented the department’s draft budget and pointed to two main cost pressures: rising contractor hauling fees and equipment/maintenance needs.
“We've had a pretty big jump on cost for our dumpster hauls,” Gerard told the committee, explaining that contractors now charge extra fees for dumpsters that exceed nine tons and that those per‑ton overweight charges have driven the line‑item increase for hauling.
Gerard asked for about $22,000 to outfit a 2500 pickup with a plow and an in‑bed salt spreader so the department can respond to winter storms without drawing large road‑department assets. He said the outfitted pickup would allow safer, more nimble work on subdivision side roads and to assist during emergencies.
He also flagged a building‑maintenance increase to replace a crumbling loading‑dock plate and improve safety for forklift operations, describing the current plate as “about ready to fall off the building.” The department increased that maintenance line to account for a new dock plate and safer loading operations.
On site operations, Gerard said weather sometimes prevents use of a burn box for brush disposal; the department has shipped brush out and is exploring using donated clean concrete/brick to build up a pad and make the burn/brush area usable again without buying large amounts of rock.
Committee members asked about cooperation with the road department and the burn‑box operations; Gerard said the department is evaluating in‑house options and partnerships. No formal budget decisions were made; the presentation was recorded for continued review in the county’s rolling draft process.
