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Council to introduce ordinance to raise Augusta Regional Landfill tipping fees to $65 per ton
Summary
Waynesboro officials introduced an ordinance to raise tipping fees at the Augusta Regional Landfill from $52 to $65 per ton to cover operating and capital costs; a public hearing is scheduled June 8 and staff said the increase would align the city more closely with neighboring jurisdictions while preserving free resident drop‑off at the public use site.
Waynesboro — The city council on May 26 voted to introduce an ordinance that would raise tipping fees at the Augusta Regional Landfill and formalize the city manager’s authority to grant limited fee waivers.
Director of public works Mr. Traffic Gray told the council the landfill is co‑owned by the city of Waynesboro, the City of Stanton and Augusta County and is managed by Augusta Water. He said the landfill’s operating and capital needs — new scales, cell expansion, gas monitoring and extraction systems — require higher revenue and that the landfill committee recommended an increase that would, if adopted, raise commercial industrial tipping fees from $52 to $65 per ton. Mr. Gray said similar modest increases apply to yard waste and items such as tires and freon‑bearing appliances, and noted residents can use the facility’s public use site free of charge.
"With the proposed tipping fee increase, if it goes into effect July 1, then the operator will be able to cover the operating costs for the foreseeable future," Mr. Gray said, adding that the recommended level places Waynesboro ‘‘in the middle’’ of surrounding localities’ fee schedules.
Several council members raised concerns that setting fees too low could attract outside haulers and accelerate cell use; one speaker observed neighboring facilities’ floors are at roughly $60 per ton and questioned whether Waynesboro should match that level rather than move incrementally. Council discussion also noted that all three owner jurisdictions must agree on a fee structure and that the increase is one of several likely to occur over the next five to six years.
The council introduced the ordinance and the mayor scheduled a public hearing for the June 8 meeting. Staff said the ordinance would be effective July 1 if ultimately adopted and that the code update also includes language to formally authorize the city manager to grant fee waivers for city projects and eligible nonprofit organizations.
What happens next: The ordinance was introduced for first reading; the council will hold a public hearing on June 8 and take final action thereafter. The landfill committee and Augusta Water provided the fee recommendation and comparison tables to neighboring jurisdictions, which staff said informed the proposed $65 per‑ton level.
