Bay County Solid Waste District retains officers, approves claims and reviews facility upgrades

The Bay County Solid Waste District convened March 19 and retained its current officers by voice vote, approved minutes from September 17 and December 17, and approved a set of claims brought by staff.

At the opening, the chair confirmed a quorum and introduced a motion to keep the president and vice president in their current posts; members seconded the motion and approved it on a voice vote. The board then approved the two sets of minutes by a separate voice vote.

Rosemary, the district staff member presenting claims, itemized payments including $20.87 to the News Examiner for the annual report and two payments to the City of Connorsville reported at about $18,500 each. Board members discussed a prior state audit that had increased expenses and noted that payments had been adjusted upward last year to two installments of $21,000 to avoid running a negative balance. After discussion the board moved to approve the claims; the motion carried by voice vote. (The record does not show mover/second names or a roll-call tally.)

In an operational report, staff said the facility handled about 40 tons of recyclables in the recent reporting period, six vehicle batteries, roughly 100 pounds of electronics and televisions, and approximately 200 tires. Board members praised recent paving and layout changes, saying a widened double lane improved traffic flow and that paving behind the scale will reduce vehicles tracking gravel and mud. A new scale and scale house were installed; the scale was reported to have cost about $125,000 and the broader project (scale, scale house, software, compactor electrical work and related items) was described as roughly $200,000 funded with riverboat funds and ARPA. Board members also noted some remaining small items for the scale house (a buzzer, window tinting and an operator switch).

Members discussed waste-collection options for residents. They reviewed fee-based drop-off and curbside pickup ideas for tires, noting disposal costs make a broad curbside program expensive; discussion included cited tire fees of about $2 off‑rim and $5 on‑rim as reference points. The board also discussed e‑waste and household hazardous waste collection events and recalled vendor estimates in the $35,000–$40,000 range that the district judged unsustainable at present. Regarding bulky-item collections, members said the city still offers limited scheduled pickups (one set or large item per request) rather than a single, citywide mass pickup, due to staffing and cost constraints.

Staff described improvements to the compost area, noting Jeremy (staff) changed how piles are turned and that the compost site is being manned to prevent improper dumping. Compost hours were given as about 8 a.m.–3 p.m.; other facility hours were stated as about 8 a.m.–4 p.m.

A motion to adjourn passed by voice vote and the meeting concluded. The record does not show named movers/seconders or detailed vote tallies for the motions recorded.

What happens next: the district will continue to complete the remaining small tasks on the scale house and monitor operational needs; no formal new programs (such as a district-funded e‑waste or large-scale curbside tire pickup) were authorized at this meeting.