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Council sets landfill tipping fee at $100 per ton starting Jan. 1, 2027 after council amends proposal
Summary
After listening sessions with private haulers and extended debate, Wicomico County Council amended Resolution 93-2026 to remove a July increase and adopt a $100-per-ton tipping fee effective Jan. 1, 2027; the council also struck a brush-permit fee and increased the first household permit to $65.
Wicomico County’s council amended and approved a key solid-waste fee change on June 2, adopting a single $100-per-ton tipping fee effective Jan. 1, 2027 and removing a proposed brush-permit fee.
What the council did: Following a staff briefing and a presentation of feedback from private haulers, the council struck a previously scheduled July increase to $94 and instead set the tipping fee at $100 per ton beginning Jan. 1, 2027. The council also removed the proposed brush-permit fee and increased the household convenience-permit first sticker from $60 to $65 (the second permit remains $30).
Why it changed: Staff reported that haulers preferred a single, larger increase with six months’ notice so they could adjust billing and bid longer contracts. The logic was summarized in staff remarks as preferring to “rip off the band-aid” and provide haulers a single effective date rather than multiple increments.
Quotations from the meeting: Finance staff relayed the haulers’ position that “they were actually amenable to the idea of going to $100 in January,” and a public-works official said the argument in the room was to ‘rip off the band-aid’ rather than impose repeated small increases.
Council concerns: Members asked whether the county could commit to holding rates for multiple years and pressed staff for the long-term capital plan (horizontal expansion and post-closure construction) that drives the need for higher fees. Staff said a three-year guarantee was not feasible but that an 18-month horizon could be reasonable; the county’s capital and post-closure needs were cited as the primary drivers for the fee proposals.
Vote: The amended resolution passed 5–1. Implementation details and communications to customers and haulers will be handled by the Public Works Solid Waste Division, which staff said will provide notices and explanatory materials ahead of the January 2027 effective date.
Why it matters: The fee will directly affect haulers, businesses, and residents who pay disposal charges or receive trash service through private vendors. Council members and staff said they would monitor out-of-county hauling decisions if local disposal costs become relatively higher than neighboring jurisdictions.
