Comments sought on solid waste fees

The Sanders County Solid Waste Refuse Disposal District is gathering input from residents on proposed service charge increases to help pay for the new Thompson Falls transfer station.

On June 20, the solid waste board voted to increase service charges to pay for the new transfer station, sheds and equipment, as well as the design and financing costs associated with the project. The proposed increase is from $125 per Equivalent Residential Unit (ERU) to $160 per ERU.

The project is estimated at $5,089,800. The U.S. Department of Agriculture Rural Development program has committed $4,962,000 to the project.

The county has charged $125 per EDU since 2006, according to the service charge resolution. The proposed service charge increase would be reflected on November 2019 property tax bills.

Properties are billed by the estimated number of units per year. A unit is 2.12 tons, and the county researches and works with local trash collectors to determine how many units to charge different businesses or residence types.

For example, a residence is charged one unit per year, a 1-bedroom apartment half a unit, and nursing home 10 units. The county then charges fees for disposing of tires, appliances with Freon, non-typical household waste and even dead animals.

The county has mailed notices to all property owners and has scheduled three public hearings to gather comments on the proposed fee increases. The first is set for Monday, July 8, at 6 p.m. in the Sanders County courthouse. The second meeting will be 6 p.m. Monday, July 15, at the Sanders County Fairgrounds pavilion and the third will be Monday, July 22, at 6 p.m. in the Trout Creek School multipurpose room.

Written protests on the proposed increase will be accepted until 5 p.m. on July 19. Comments can be mailed to the Sanders County Clerk and Recorder at P.O. Box 519, Thompson Falls, MT 59873.

Sanders County secured 30 acres of land east of Thompson Falls off Highway 200 for the new transfer station. The old site was on leased property next to Thompson River Lumber. The new transfer station will include a building that residents will drive in to deposit their trash. The garbage will be dumped on the floor and then moved into a trailer. A tunnel under the building will put the trailer at ground level with the floor of the transfer station building. That, as well as adding compactors, will allow the county to get more garbage into each load. The county will contract with Republic Services to haul the trash to Missoula.

Cox gave a history of the early 1990s when state and federal governments enacted new regulations for dumps and landfills. The county looked at options back then and settled on a transfer site on a property next to Thompson River Lumber (TRL) that was owned by that company. The county leased the property until 2017. TRL then asked the county to relocate the transfer station but continued to extend the lease with the county while commissioners and solid waste staff worked to find a new, suitable location.