Options for Todd Solid Waste budget shortfall

Solid Waste Director Mike Hanan and Transfer Station Supervisor Jeremy Clasemann talked about some options they had for balancing the solid waste department’s budget at the Nov. 15 meeting of the Todd County Commissioners.

The 2016 approved budget shows the department with a shortfall of $234,820 and the 2017 proposed budget with an estimated shortfall of $306,131.

Hanan said that he did not believe the department would actually be in the hole those amounts due to some cuts they have made internally to keep costs down including operational costs.

After some discussion, Commissioner Randy Neumann said, “We approved an increase in tipping fees and parcel fees. Commissioner Erickson asked you if this would cover it. Now you say you are cutting costs, but where? This has to be brought under control.”

Neumann went on to say that he had called Wilkin County which is using Waste Management Services and they pay $24 a year.

“Period! We just keep paying more and more and more. The taxpayers have had enough. My job isn’t to tell you what to cut,” said Neumann.

“If you want to cut (costs) you have to tell me what programs to cut,” said Hanan.

There was a discussion about the transfer station facility in Browerville.

Hanan said that to fix the facility he had told the board they would need to set money aside. He had suggested $50,000 a year because the county would be responsible for at least half of the costs in upgrading the facility.

Commissioner Gary Kneisl said, “Garbage is an expensive business. It costs us to keep burning it. We have to cut, but I don’t know where.”

Clasemann said that they are cutting where they can, including putting in different lights.

The board further discussed the fact that the county does not meet their commitment of tonnage of waste at the Perham Facility and has not since they have begun.

Hanan said that they would not likely be seeing a lowering of the fee.

Chair Barb Becker said that the county was paying double on waste disposal when they have had to take waste elsewhere.

Clasemann said that Todd County was usually the first county to have their waste diverted to another facility.

Commissioner Rod Erickson asked if the other counties with commitments at Perham met their waste commitment?

Hanan said that most other counties (Clay, Becker, Otter Tail and Wadena) did meet their commitments or were very close.

There was further discussion on the amounts that are paid which are not equal for each county.

Commissioner David Kircher said that he was concerned with the other counties that were coming into Todd County and taking garbage.

“We need to deal with it,” he said.

Kircher recommended that the whole board would sit on a solid waste committee that would meet a couple of times a year similar to what public works does where they could meet and talk about goals.

Hanan went through the budget options for the short-term and for the long-term.

One of the long-term options was to implement a volume based solid waste service fee for all commercial/industrial parcels. The volume based service fee would include a flat rate for the first ton of waste generated (the first ton rate would be equal to the same as the rate established for residential parcels - currently $46). For each ton over the first ton, the rate for commercial/industrial would be $40 per ton. 

Hanan estimated that based on 6,168 tons (less the first 803 tons) per year that $214,600 would be generated.

He said that 2017 would be an educational year with no increased fees so they could ascertain the  accuracy of volume generated.

The increases would begin in 2018.

In other business the commissioners:

o Acknowledged two Public Works employees, Linus Koval and Aaron Gabler for placing second and tenth respectively in the Truck Roadeo at the 2016 Minnesota Fall Maintenance Expo in St. Cloud.

o According to County Engineer Loren Fellbaum, it has been determined that maintenance operations conducted out of the Northern Shop would greatly benefit from the addition of a skid loader to the existing fleet of equipment. This purchase would be funded by a 2016 unspent gas, diesel and fuels budget line item.

The board approved the purchase price of $36,873.37 - state bid price - from Long Prairie Machinery. This will be an addition to the public works fleet, not a replacement.

o Approved the hire of Mike Becker as wetlands conservation coordinator. Refilling this position is necessary to provide service to landowners seeking to comply with Wetland Conservation Agency rules.

o Todd Soil and Water Conservation Director Tim Stieber presented the 2016 Land Stewardship award to the Todd County Park and Trails Board. Al Loken accepted the award on behalf of the board.

o Approved the hire of Kathleen Nauber for the full-time payroll specialist position with a hire date of Nov. 28. The position has been vacant for quite a while. Staff from other offices have helped in getting the payroll processed on time.

o Along with the above action, the board also approved Nauber’s resignation from her role as an eligibility worker  in the Health and Human Services department. The board further approved the recruitment of a new eligibility worker to fill the vacated position.

o The board also approved an additional eligibility worker position.

Background: The board action read, “Each time the State is unable to carry out required federal Affordable Care Act mandates, their solution is to pass the work down to the local county level to figure out. This has resulted in an increased work load in the Financial Support Services Unit. Todd County caseloads and applications have increased 50 percent and Periodic Data Matching will be passed down to the local level, with an anticipated workload increase of an additional 49 percent. Because of the increase in caseloads and applications there is a need to hire an additional eligibility worker.”

o Approved sending a letter to Governor Mark Dayton among others requesting that a special session be held to address MnSure and the barriers that people are encountering with accessing needed medical care and services.

o Approved the hire of two social workers in the Family Services Unit, Mikayla Wolbeck and Taalyr Egeness.

o Accepted the resignation of Candace Tepfer a registered nurse effective Nov. 28. The board approved hiring a registered nurse or a social worker to fill the position in the service coordination area of HHS.

o Approved the hire of Registered Nurse Angela Schleicher in the Adult and Disabilities Unit.

o Approved the 2017-2018 Mental Health Contract for grants of $76,418 each year.

o The Rachel’s Grove Final Plat was approved without conditions.

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