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Fort Hays State representative seeks landfill-fee waiver; commission declines exception
Summary
A Fort Hays State University representative asked Ellis County to waive branch landfill fees tied to a new secure-load policy; county staff and commissioners said the policy treats non-city entities as commercial and that waiving the fee would set an undesired precedent, so the commission kept the policy in place.
A Fort Hays State University representative asked the Ellis County Commission to waive branch landfill fees after the county implemented a secure-load policy that requires some loads to be weighed and charged.
Justin Craig, environmental services director, explained the municipal arrangement: the City of Hays pays a monthly landfill fee that is built into city residential utility rates so city residents may use the landfill without separate charges, but that arrangement does not apply to commercial entities or non-city organizations. "It is not built into any commercial or industrial pay scales, which would require them to pay," Craig said.
Commissioners questioned whether prior practice had effectively allowed the university to bypass scales and whether signage or notice had been adequate. One commissioner said allowing a waiver for the university could prompt churches and other nonprofits to ask for similar exceptions and thereby undermine the secure-load policy. The commissioner explained the policy's purpose: to ensure items that should pay are weighed and charged and to reduce loads leaving the county.
After discussion the commission declined to make an exception. Chair Niall Younger restated the county’s intention to adhere to the secure-load policy and noted that similar rules apply to small subdivisions and private citizens when they bring a load for disposal.
No formal fee-waiver motion was approved; administrators deferred noneconomic remedies and instructed staff to proceed under existing policy.
