Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Solid Waste topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Trinity County approves $100 parcel fee for solid waste; board asks staff to study senior/ construction discounts
Summary
The board approved a $100-per-unit annual solid-waste parcel fee for 2026–27 that is expected to generate about $960,000 for the Solid Waste Enterprise Fund. Members asked staff to research elderly and construction exemptions for future years after community commenters raised affordability and transfer‑station closure concerns.
Trinity County supervisors voted March 17 to adopt the 2026–27 solid‑waste parcel fee schedule, setting the residential parcel fee at $100 per equivalent unit and estimating roughly $960,000 in revenue to the Solid Waste Enterprise Fund.
Diane Rider, deputy director of solid waste, told the board the fee structure supports post‑closure landfill monitoring and operating expenses and pairs the parcel fee with gate‑tipping charges. The fee structure includes a $50 reduction for low‑income households (eligibility set at 200% of the federal poverty level, shown in the presentation as an annual household income of $31,920) and a $30 annual payment for properties under construction or vacant but generating waste.
Supervisors asked staff for details on long‑term landfill postclosure costs; Rider said current monitoring and maintenance for the closed landfill runs about $120,000–$150,000 per year and is carried on the county balance sheet as a multiyear liability (the regulatory agencies expect a 30‑year planning horizon). Several board members and commenters urged the county to study whether the elderly credit age or low‑income threshold could be increased and whether the construction/vacant rule should be adjusted for fairness.
Public comment included concerns about transfer‑station closures and staffing at remote sites, and requests that the board re‑examine senior and construction policies. Supervisor Lyler and others said changing exemptions would require a separate resolution and financial analysis before a change could be applied for the coming fiscal year; the board directed staff to research impacts and return findings as part of future budget discussions.
The resolution passed on a roll-call vote (4–1; Supervisor Brownfield voted no). The resolution authorizes billing for the new parcel fees for the fiscal year starting July 1, 2026.
Next steps: staff will compile an economic impact analysis of possible changes to the elderly threshold and construction treatment for consideration in next year’s fee-setting process.
