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Solid Waste Agency recommends 20% surcharge to cover Kirby Transfer Station losses; commissioners weigh subsidy or phase‑in
Summary
Southern Oregon Sanitation and the Solid Waste Agency proposed a 20% gate increase (franchise surcharge) to stop annual losses at the Kirby Transfer Station; the board discussed partial county subsidy, phased increases and public hearings to gather input.
Trent Carpenter, owner of Southern Oregon Sanitation, told the Board of Commissioners that the Kirby Transfer Station is financially unsustainable at current rates and presented the Solid Waste Agency’s recommendation to raise the gate rate or apply a franchise‑area surcharge to cover losses.
“Kirby transfer station gets about 3,000 tons a year,” Carpenter said. “If you strip Kirby’s losses out of the system, the curbside service operates around the target profit; it’s Kirby that’s dragging us down.” He and agency materials estimated the recommended action as a 20% gate increase at Kirby that the agency calculated would equate to roughly $180 per county residential customer per month if the county’s franchise area absorbs the subsidy.
Commissioners discussed three options: enact the agency’s recommended rate change, allow the increase to proceed automatically after the agency vote (the franchise includes a 60‑day response window), or shift some of the subsidy into county funds and phase the change in to reduce immediate bill shock. Several commissioners warned that a sharp rate jump risks pushing people to drive out of pocket (or to illegal dumping), and suggested possible mitigations such as a phased approach or partial temporary subsidy from franchise revenue.
Carpenter and commissioners also emphasized geography and equity: city residents of Grants Pass and Cave Junction would not be subject to the county surcharge because municipal contracts with private haulers are separate. Closing Kirby entirely was discussed and most present warned it would increase illegal dumping and travel burdens on rural residents.
The board agreed to schedule public comment and a business session discussion in coming weeks so the board can collect input and decide whether to accept the agency’s recommended 20% gate rate change, ask for a different percentage, or adopt a county subsidy/phase‑in strategy.
