Riley County Commission approves contract reduction, permits and raises transfer‑station fee to $72/ton

The Riley County Commission on July 6 approved several routine actions, including a reduction to the tipping‑floor project contract and a transfer‑station fee increase intended to help pay for that work.

The Commission moved and seconded to approve Change Order No. 4 for the Riley County tipping‑floor project, reducing the project total to $600,290. The motion was adopted by voice vote. (The motion to approve the change order was introduced and seconded on the record.)

The commission also approved a highway use permit allowing J & K Contracting to install an 8‑inch sanitary sewer line on Spadell and Johnson Road and granted a plaza reservation for Downtown Manhattan on July 16. Motions to approve minutes from a July 1 special meeting and the July 2 regular meeting were likewise moved, seconded and approved.

Evan McMillan, public works, told commissioners the transfer‑station rate — which rose from $55 to $64 per ton in 2023 — should increase to $72 per ton beginning in October. "The solid waste advisory board has recommended $72 per ton," McMillan said, adding that the rise would help pay off the recently completed tipping‑floor project and that the increase breaks down to roughly a 4% annual rise when viewed over several years. The Commission approved the rate increase by voice vote.

All of the above motions were passed without recorded roll‑call tallies in the transcript; outcomes were recorded in the meeting as approved by voice.

What happens next: the transfer‑station rate increase is scheduled to take effect in October, and staff indicated they will provide notice to users. Other administrative items (permits, plaza reservation, minutes approvals) were completed as routine business.