Waste Comm. debates how to hike fees
Equal assessment for all, or higher user fee for those who use theBy Andy Hallman — Daily Freeman-Journal Staff Writer
The Hamilton County Solid Waste Commission learned on Oct. 22 that they will have a daunting financial problem ahead of them. On that day the North Central Iowa Regional Solid Waste Plant in Fort Dodge raised the rate they charge per cubic yard of garbage from $5 to $8.50.
The rate increase will take effect Jan. 1. Because all of the garbage in Hamilton County is taken to the landfill outside of Fort Dodge, it will mean that Hamilton County residents will eventually have to foot the bill.
On Wednesday night, commission members discussed where money would come from to pay the increased rate and how soon it would be needed. Secretary Lori Isvik informed the commission that if the Hamilton County weigh-station does not also increase its gate fees, it will lose approximately $21,000 per month.
Gate fee may need to grow by $20 per ton
The gate fee in Hamilton County is currently $52 per ton. In order to cover the rate hike in Webster County, the gate fee would need to be increased to $72 per ton. Gregg Wright from Randall put forward a motion to raise the gate fees to $72. The motion died for lack of a second.
One alternative to increased gate fees is to charge each town in the county an assessment based on the town's population. It would then be up to each town to decide how the assessment is funded, which would likely be done through taxes or a minimum payment on each resident's city bill. People who live on farms will be assessed through the county.
Let the user pay
Wright expressed his distaste for assessments and preferred user fees instead.
"I'm a believer in the idea that if you make garbage you should pay for it and if you don't make it you shouldn't have to pay for it," said Wright.
Dale Graham from Ellsworth warned against raising user fees too much.
"If we charged $75 or more here this place would disappear. The garbage would end up somewhere else," warned Graham.
Commission Chairman Troy Hassebrock from Blairsburg remarked that he preferred an assessment over a user fee. Ron McKenzie from Stanhope concurred, stating, "I've worked in a town where we've had the garbage paid for through an assessment and I've also worked in a town where the garbage was paid for through user fees, and believe me, the assessment was much better."
McKenzie made a motion to raise gate fees to $62.75, which would cut the commissin's losses from $21,000 a month to $12,000. McKenzie later withdrew his motion and told the commission that they needed to do further research on the financial implications of a gate fee increase.
If the commission does decide it wants an assessment from the county and the towns, the earliest the assessment could take effect would be July 1, 2009.
Hazardous waste collection
In other news, the commission approved a motion to go ahead with the grant application for $100,000 from the Department of Natural Resources to build a Household Hazardous Waste Collection Center. Currently there is no place for Hamilton County residents to dispose of their household waste.
Mike Nepereny from Stratford felt very strongly about the need to construct the collection center.
"Where in the county can you take hazardous materials? Right now people are putting them in their garbage or throwing them into a ditch or flushing them down the toilet. We owe it to the citizens of Hamilton County to build this facility," commented Nepereny.
The Commission invites the general public to their next meeting, which will be Wednesday, Dec. 10, at the transfer station northwest of Kamrar.
Contact Andy Hallman at reporter@freemanjournal.net
