May 2, 2025 (The Herald-Mail) –
County residents have an opportunity to submit comments on that and other various rate and fee changes before or during a
The hearing is about proposed rate changes — mostly increases — for the
Chief Financial Officer
The proposed fee changes, including the possible change to the rate structure for landfill fees, would go into effect with the start of the new fiscal year on
The public can comment at the
The commissioners are expected to vote on the proposed increases during their
What changes are being proposed for
The county is already paying for recycling services, but has experienced a drop in recycling participation like the rest of the state, Mason said.
Increasing recycling also would help extend the life of the landfill west of
Construction of that cell could cost around
Mason told the commissioners on
If the commissioners decide to adopt the all-in-one fee schedule, Mason said there would still be a stand-alone recycling permit available. They have a number of customers from
Whether the fee structure changes or stays the same, the rates could go up for the first time since 2018, Mason said.
Under the all-inclusive permit option, the proposed fees are:
- A regular residential permit would cost
$200 , where those services now cost$186 - A six-month permit would cost
$150 , where those services now cost$121 - An annual permit for seniors 62 or older, or for service-related disabled veterans, would be
$150 , where those services now cost$156
If the rate structure stays the same, the proposed residential permit increases include:
- A regular trash permit could go from
$130 to$135 - A 6-month permit could go from
$65 to$67.50 - Annual permits for seniors 62 or older, or for service-related disabled veterans could go from
$95 to$98 - A regular yard-debris permit, with purchase of a residential permit at the same time, could go from
$20 to$25 - A stand-alone yard-debris permit could go from
$25 to$50
Under either fee structure, the stand-alone recycling permit is proposed to increase by
In addition to the need for a new landfill cell, Mason said rising solid-waste costs have included recycling hauling and processing, dumpster leases and hauling, leachate hauling and treatment and monitoring methane at the current and former landfills. There are five former landfill sites being monitored. According to Mason they are the Resh, rubble,
What increases will average
Mace said the county approved a multi-year water and sewer rate increase schedule a year ago.
The average water/sewer usage for a residential customer is 200 gallons a day, according to the county.
That works out to 18,000 gallons over 90 days.
The base quarterly residential water cost for that customer will go up on
The base quarterly residential sewer cost for that customer will go up on
Mace, in an email, said the multiyear rate increases were based on the county's long-range financial needs for both water and sewer operating and capital expenses. Inflation plays a large role in those costs going up.
What
There are still some water and sewer related fees proposed to increase
These fees are more on the administrative side of operations and have not been adjusted for several years, Mace said. In some cases, the affected fees haven't gone up in a decade or longer.
Among the county water/sewer fees proposed to increase are:
- The maintenance fee assessed when a water/sewer account is not paid within the 10-day period following the late notice would go up from
$30 to$33 . - A service disconnect or reconnect fee, related to delinquent accounts, would go up from
$50 to$55 . - A service disconnect or reconnect fee during non-business hours, related to delinquent accounts, would go up from
$75 to$83 .
What changes are being proposed for
The airport-related fees proposed to go up are for hangar and office space. Almost all of those rates are proposed to increase 3%.
For example, the various rates to rent a small single-engine hangar now range from
Mace said the T-hangar rental fees are proposed to go up "to maintain compliance with fair market value grant assurance required by the
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