Nearly twice as much.
That’s how much it could cost to dispose of a single can of garbage at San Juan County’s solid-waste transfer stations.
On Tuesday, the County Council endorsed a series of steps to help remedy the funding woes of its solid-waste operation in the short term and over the long haul as well. Included is an 87-percent increase on the price to dispose of a single can of garbage.
In a 5-1 decision, the council voted to raise the minimum disposal fee from $8 to $15 and approved an “emergency declaration” in light of the operation’s unresolved financial dilemma. It also instructed county staff to investigate a potential bond sale as a means of generating new revenue for the cash-strapped operation and to prepare for an exchange in ownership, and debt, of two properties managed by the Department of Public Works.
The pending increase must be approved by the council at public hearing before it would take effect.
According to Public Works Director Jon Shannon, the solid-waste capital fund would receive an infusion of roughly $220,000 by taking over ownership and the debt of the so-called “drop-box” property at the Lopez Island solid-waste site, as well as receiving credit for improvements made at that site. Public Work’s Equipment Rental and Revolving Fund would assume ownership and the debt of the Beaverton Valley Road property on San Juan Island and the 20-acre mothballed landfill on Lopez as part of that exchange.
Though billed as an across-the-board increase, the $15 minimum fee would in reality apply almost exclusively to a single can of garbage or on loads of 100 pounds or less. The existing self-haul rate of 14.7 cents per pound, or $269 per ton, remains unchanged at this point. The new minimum fee could take effect 10 days following its final approval.
Councilman Gene Knapp, Orcas East, cast the lone dissenting vote. Knapp noted those who self-haul already pay nearly $100 more per pound than solid-waste’s two largest customers, San Juan Sanitation, the county’s franchise hauler, and the Town of Friday Harbor. He said he would support an “emergency surcharge” of 14-percent if it were paid by all.
With an emergency declaration in effect, Shannon said Public Works may be able to build a cover over the tipping floor of the solid-waste facility sooner than without it. The “emergency” status will allow the department to forego the county’s normal competitive bidding process and deal directly with a single contractor on the project. County agencies must put projects of $300,000 or more out to bid.
