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Commissioners open single bid for solid-waste hauling as residents warn of steep cost jump
Summary
A lone sealed bid from Evergreen Disposal listed a year-one county cost of $465,000 — up from the current $413,000 budgeted — and proposed 5% annual increases that drew questions from commissioners and residents about budget capacity and the lack of competing bids.
Lincoln County commissioners opened a single sealed bid Feb. 25 for the county’s solid-waste hauling contract and heard public concern that the proposal would significantly exceed the current budget and bound the county to annual increases.
The bid from Evergreen Disposal listed a year-one contract amount of $465,000, up from the county’s current solid-waste budget of $413,000. The proposal included 5% annual increases in years two through five, which the county said would raise cumulative payments to about $565,210 in year five if the escalators were applied as proposed.
The chair said the bid package did not break down collection schedules by site and noted the commission would review the documents before taking action. “This is pretty important. We don’t have to make a decision today,” the chair said, asking staff to provide full copies for review.
Residents and commenters urged caution. “If you proactively put out monthly timelines … that could help alleviate questions,” said Tony Wickham, a resident, urging clearer communication about bridge and road repairs and expressing concern that the single bid limits the county’s bargaining position. Another commenter tallied the projected increases and called the five-year rise “a pretty significant jump.”
Commissioners and members of the public discussed contract language that ties payment changes to fuel or an automatic 5% annual escalation, and several urged negotiating fuel-rate passthroughs or a lower escalation cap. One commissioner said the county had supplemented its solid-waste line with PILT funds in the past and that staff would need to review whether the new proposal could be covered under the 2026–27 budget.
The commission did not award the contract at the meeting; members agreed to review the single responsive proposal and return to the item later. The clerk opened the bid record publicly and said staff would supply commissioners with the full proposal and analysis ahead of a decision.
