County to take over Hot Springs dump

Sanders County will take over the Hot Springs refuse site next month.

The decision comes after the Hot Springs Refuse District voted in May to have the county take over the site and the county commissioners unanimously voted last week to take over the site.

“I thinks it’s very positive for the community of Hot Springs,” Commissioner John Holland said. “It takes the pressure off of Hot Springs with having to make do with what they could afford and the county can offer more flexibility financially if something comes up.” Holland also said that with the action, all of the county refuse sites will now be under county control.

The Hot Springs refuse site is currently open Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. “We are hoping to have it open one more day a week,” Holland expressed.

The transition will take place next month, said Holland. The matter was first discussed nearly a year ago when the Hot Springs Refuse District and the county discussed the future of the site.

In July of 2023, the town of Hot Springs approached the county about taking over the refuse site, which is currently overseen by a special district within the county. The commissioners have not heard of any progress from the town of Hot Springs. “The biggest concern for residents is always the money,” Hot Springs Refuse District board member Charlie Scott told the commissioners at the solid waste meeting last month. “We’re always concerned about being able to cover costs at the end of the year and keep rates down.” Holland responded that the refuse fee is county wide and if the county takes over the site, it would not cost the residents any more. The fee of $160 is paid by all property owners in the county. Holland noted that the site has been cleaned up in the past year and Scott said that revenues at the gate have increased in the past year at the Hot Springs site.

Hot Springs Mayor Randy Woods said the town was waiting for the refuse district to decide what they wanted going forward. He said last year, the town was getting complaints about the state of the roll-off site because people thought it belonged to the town. When the commissioners last year met to discuss options for the site, they had approached Republic Services for a proposal to take it over. “I didn’t want that for the citizens of the valley because they would pay more,” Woods said. “The most logical thing would be for the county to take it over. However, the county is lazy and inefficient and they are not fair to the taxpayer,” he added. “If no one else will take it over we will do it and hire an attendant. We have the public works staff to help if needed and will take care of the maintenance.”

Woods said he has been giving the refuse district advice in the last year. “With me being involved the district is doing really well.” He added that he felt the district wasn’t collecting enough in fees and that there were some property owners not paying the refuse fee.”Right now a lot of people are dumping for free who don’t pay the fee. Honestly I’d like to see the board continue on as they are and I’ll help them in any way they can.”

At the meeting earlier this month, Scott also expressed concern about infrastructure at the Hot Springs refuse site, saying vehicles are in need of repair.

The commissioners have also discussed the possibility of consolidating the Heron and Noxon refuse sites during the winter months and having just the Noxon site open. “There would be some cost savings realized if we went this route,” Commissioner Dan Rowan said before suggesting they schedule some public meetings on the topic.

Solid waste supervisor Jason Peterson said he is reviewing different options for recycling, as he has had several people ask about recycling light bulbs. He also has found vendors to take batteries for recycling.

The commissioners last month discussed maintenance to county refuse sites, including plans to pave at the Plains site to help with dust and mud control. Commissioner Tony Cox said he’d also like to get the Trout Creek site paved. Peterson said at Plains, they plan to move the employee shed closer to the entrance and have dedicated one-way paths in and out for patrons.