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Lincoln County weighs landfill fee increases as expansion takes more money; change order approved
Summary
County commissioners approved a roughly $112,279 landfill change order to address unanticipated groundwater and heard staff propose raising the annual landfill assessment from $150 to $160 plus 3% annually, and other per‑load fee increases to close budget gaps and fund future cell development.
Lincoln County commissioners on June 25 approved an additional change order for the county landfill expansion and directed staff to refine a proposal to raise landfill assessment and user fees to cover rising costs.
The board voted to approve a change order described in the meeting packet as $112,279 to add trench drains and related work after contractors encountered unanticipated groundwater that increased construction costs. The motion to approve the change order carried on a voice vote.
County staff told commissioners the additional work was needed because groundwater conditions at the site had not been fully anticipated, causing successive expensive change orders during the expansion. “Due to that unanticipated groundwater, it caused two issues,” a county speaker said while presenting the change order.
In a separate but related discussion, staff presented a proposed five‑year fee plan to address a budget shortfall. The proposal included: 1.5% interest per month on past due invoices, higher per‑cubic‑yard charges for demolition and unsorted loads (proposed examples: $45 per cubic yard for some unsorted demolition loads and tiered per‑load charges for large stumps and concrete), a new uncovered‑load fee ($48 per load proposed), and changes to tire fees and commercial wood‑waste charges. Staff also proposed raising the current annual assessment (currently $150) to $160 with a 3% annual increase for five years.
Commissioners asked staff to run budget models showing the fiscal effects of the $160 + 3% scenario and alternatives, including a larger one‑time increase to help fund equipment replacement and future cell development. “If we did an increase a larger increase this year and then did a 3% increase for the next five years that would allow us to start putting something into equipment replacement and cell development,” a commissioner said.
Staff cautioned the proposed increases would not fully cover other contract shortfalls the county faces this year, including costs tied to green‑box transfer sites. Commissioners instructed staff to return with firm numbers before drafting a resolution and opening a public hearing on fees.
The landfill change order and the fee‑study direction were the most substantive budget items discussed; commissioners did not adopt fee changes at the meeting and instead asked for more detailed modeling and a resolution to be posted for public comment.
Next steps: staff will run the requested budget scenarios, circulate the results to commissioners, and (if commissioners authorize) draft a resolution to set a public hearing on proposed fee and assessment changes.
