Supervisors support landfill rate increase

West Point may pass costs on to residents through utility bills

BY CHUCK VANDENBERG
PCC EDITOR

LEE COUNTY - A 256% increase in fees paid by the county as part of an Integrated Waste Services contract with Great River Regional Waste Authority got no opposition from Lee County Supervisors Monday.

Austin Banks, the director the landfill, said the authority hadn't taken a rate increase in 15 years and the move is to better position the landfill for the future, as well as helping fund methane mitigation starting in 2025.

"Integrated Waste Services fee is going up. It was $1 per household roughly, to $2.50," he told the board.

Banks said the landfill built a new cell this year that will add 4.5 years of life to the landfill at current waste levels and he said in 2025 and 2030, the landfill will add additional cells.

"The 2025 cell will give us an additional five years with the next cell being built in 2030. That cell will be a bigger cell and give us more life, but unfortunately in 2025 we are most likely going to tip an EPA regulation based around greenhouse gases and methane is a big hitter in this," Banks said.

Banks said the EPA tightened regulations in 2021 from 50 megagrams to 34 megagrams of methane output. He said that would put the landfill in a "triple x" additional monitoring status and all methane would have to be harvested.

"There's different ways to deal with this methane. One would be a big flare, and we could look at other options. Instead of being hit with this regulation, we want to kind of prepare for it as it comes. It is a lot of infrastructure that our landfill is going to need," Banks said.

He said there was an increase in tipping fees to the public and contractors as well as the integrated contracts the landfill has with governmental agencies to fund the landfill.

The county was paying just under $55,000 per year under the contract, but the new contract will generate $148,000 or an increase of 256%.

Board Chairman Matt Pflug said it was probably time to revisit the rates.

"I would say if we haven't done it for 15 years it's probably a good time to revisit," Pflug said.

Budget Director Cindy Renstrom said in the past the county has bonded for improvements and Banks said that was a long time ago.

Supervisor Rick Larkin said the move shows the landfill is trying to be proactive in keeping the landfill viable.

"If we do what wexre supposed to and follow what we're supposed to and get it done, I think we'll be miles ahead," Larkin said.

Seyb said it was good to be leaning into the future and preparing for future regulations.

"We're looking into the future and we're already preparing for that and have the regulation hit and then all of a sudden we have to come up with a bunch of money to sustain those operations. It's a testament to you and your leadership out there leaning forward and looking at that and the long range plan," Seyb said.

Seyb said it was important for the public to understand the increase is to fund long-term planning and not just generating extra money.

West Point had the increase on their agenda Monday night as well.

City Administrator Dennis McGregor said the city used to assess the fee on residents' utility bills through West Point Utilities. However, he said for some reason, the city stopped collecting the fee in 2014 and has been paying the bill for the past seven years at about $432 a month. The increase will put the fees at $992 per month.

Councilman Dan Waters said that fee should be included in county taxes.

"What we're looking at is if we're going to pay it out of the city budget or charge the residents," Walters said.

McGregor said the city would end up paying the bill, but would collect the money as a pass through from the West Point Utility.

"I didn't know if the council wanted to continue the payment as we have been doing...," McGregor said.

Waters said if it used to be on the utility bill but the city's just been footing the bill for the past seven years, then the fee should be put back on those bills.

McGregor said he would draw up a resolution to put the landfill fee back on the utility bill and the council could vote on the resolution.