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Solid Waste staff propose FY27 budget with capital tweaks, seasonal hires and an 11% pay request
Summary
Park County public‑works staff presented a draft FY27 solid‑waste budget that reduces some capital purchases via cheaper rentals, proposes $150,000 in z‑wall funding (partially offset by grants), seeks additional seasonal attendants for busy weekends and requested an 11% pay increase that commissioners must approve.
Public works staff presented the solid‑waste department's FY27 budget assumptions on Jan. 18, proposing a mix of rental and capital purchases, modest fee adjustments and added seasonal staffing to handle peak weekend loads.
Matt Whitman, public works staff, told the board the department changed vendors for steel recycling and will rent roll‑off containers at $1,000 per year rather than pay $3,500, improving short‑term cash flow even though buying would have a longer payback. He outlined capital items including $150,000 for the Chico z‑wall (partially offset by $60,000 in grants), $35,000 for 8‑yard front‑load containers and $45,000 for a pickup. Whitman also proposed design funds for a building to house equipment at the road shop.
Staffing and operations: Whitman said recent transfer‑station trailer fires in Livingston increased the county's workload and led Park County to cover collection routes temporarily. Attendants at staffed Green Box sites reduced site volumes by about 50% during busy weekends, staff said; Whitman requested additional Saturday and Friday seasonal employees to keep sites manageable and avoid expensive hauls.
Wages and reserves: Whitman proposed an 11% pay increase for solid‑waste employees to align with raises elsewhere and estimated the proposal would add roughly $40,000 annually. The board cautioned that any wage or COLA decision requires county commissioners' approval and warned against preempting negotiations. Whitman said current reserve projections (recalled from memory) show the fund growing and that several capital loans will fall off the books in 2029–30, easing future purchases.
Fees: Staff proposed holding disposal and recycling at current nominal levels ($36 disposal, $35 recycling) while increasing collections by $10 to cover higher fuel costs; long‑range projections were presented as estimates rather than final commitments.
Next steps: Whitman said final budget figures will be available when finance provides actuals; the board asked staff to include FY26 year‑end projections and update the FY27 proposal to reflect seasonal staffing requests and final reserve numbers before returning to the commissioners.
