Ulster County Resource Recovery Agency proposes no MSW/C&D tipping fee hike but flags revenue shortfall for Repower project

Mark Bridal, director of the Ulster County Resource Recovery Agency, presented the agency’s budget outlook and recommended against increasing tipping fees for municipal solid waste (MSW) or construction & demolition (C&D) tonnage for the coming year.

Bridal said UCRRA projects total revenues of roughly $24 million and expenditures just over $23 million, with a small budgeted surplus of about $50,000. He told the committee the agency’s biggest structural challenge is that more than 95% of its revenue derives from tipping fees, so declines in C&D tonnage — which is not flow‑controlled — have a disproportionate effect. “We are projecting a 130,000 tons in the 2027 budget,” Bridal said, noting a drop in projected C&D and an expected net downward revision of about 15,000 tons compared with previous projections.

Bridal also said the Repower/Reuse Innovation Center has been paused because prior budgeting added $520,000 and the agency now faces a $620,000 shortfall unless the county’s earlier $1 million commitment remains or additional grants are secured. He asked that the committee consider other revenue sources or a home‑rule request to cover diversion projects if grants are unavailable.

Legislators asked clarifying questions about fuel surcharges, mattress recycling fees and hauling costs; Bridal explained a modest $5 increase in the town pull charge and that mattress recycling costs are passed through at the rate the recycling contractor charges. He said the agency will continue to pursue federal and state grants for the Repower project and that any decision to pause would be revisited if new funding appears.

The presentation closed with an invitation for further committee review of the budget documents and outreach concerning potential grant opportunities.