LANE COUNTY – In an attempt to save money and cut costs in the county’s waste management division, Lane County is considering reducing hours and closing transfer stations, and raising disposal fees.
Lane County Commissioners are deciding how to proceed with services after approving a budget that includes $3 million in cuts to the waste management division.
Staff explained that the waste management division is responsible for operating the county’s transfer stations and landfill, and is funded solely by user fees. Jeff Orlandini, Waste Management Division manager, said that because of a structural operating deficit of $3 million and an annual landfill reserve contribution deficit of $2 million, the division’s total deficit tops $5 million.
On June 23, commissioners were presented with four recommendations to raise disposal fees and make transfer station adjustments to fill the deficit.
All options include the removal of recycling rebate and Climate program contributions, transfer station closures or adjustments at varying levels, a volume-fee-based increase, and an increase to the minimum fee charged. None of the options include an increase to hauler weight-based fees.
Lane County operates 15 transfer stations across the county. The current minimum fee is $15, the lowest among neighboring counties. The county fee closest to Lane’s is Deschutes County’s, at $28.
The options presented would provide a net revenue gain of anywhere between $3.2 million and $4.1 million, depending on which one is chosen. Commissioners favored “option 2,” which proposes reducing hours across Lane County’s transfer stations, closing two transfer stations, increasing fees for use, and would generate roughly $3.7 million.
“Option 2”
Option two proposes a 5% increase to the volume-based fees for larger loads brought to transfer stations, which will generate approximately $610,000. This option also requests a minimum fee increase from $15 to $25, which would generate around $1,895,000.
Each option involved eliminating a $232,000 transfer from Waste Management to the county’s climate program. Commissioner Laurie Trieger asked about the program’s funding, and staff said it will continue to be funded, but with video lottery revenue instead.
The second option also includes eliminating the recycling rebate, which provides a $1 discount on disposal fees for folks who recycle at the county’s transfer stations. Commissioner Heather Buch was concerned about eliminating this recycling incentive.
“Typically, the way the transfer stations are set up is that recycling is first. You go to that area, you recycle, it’s free, and people tend to want to do that to reduce the cost of disposal. We don’t feel that it’s the same motivating factor that it used to be,” Orlandini said.
The elimination will save around $174,000.
This option proposes the Veneta transfer station close on Mondays and Tuesdays, saving around $140,000. Other transfer station operating hours will be reduced, saving around $70,000.
The final proposal in this option includes closing the Walton and Creswell transfer stations. Closing the Walton transfer station will bring in about $50,000, and the Creswell one would bring another $550,000. Three out of the four total options presented to the board of commissioners included this proposal.
“Creswell is very close to two other transfer stations that are either north or south of it and operate either the same hours and days or more. From a location standpoint, it would make more sense than, say, Marcola,” Orlandini said.
The Creswell transfer station saw just under 16,000 customers last year and incurred a net loss of $113,000. Commissioner Pat Farr pointed out that after ten years, that is a $1 million loss.
The Walton station had only 773 last year, with a net loss of $32,000.
“I don’t like the option that has the greater number of transfer stations closing,” said Treiger. “I think that impact would be felt deeply by the community and would have ripple effects,” she said.
One option shown to the board included closures to six transfer stations: London, Low Pass, McKenzie Bridge, Sharps Creek, Swisshome, and Walton.
“People should really fully understand that the decisions that we’re making right now, we would rather not be making these decisions,” Farr said. “These aren’t decisions that we wanted to make. We didn’t seek having to close Creswell at $113,000 a year. It was forced upon us. It was brought to the table by somebody else who said, ‘Here’s your problem. Take care of it.’”
Orlandini said that customers at the Walton and Creswell stations are likely to go to a nearby station.
The board agreed to return on July 7 to continue the discussion but leaned heavily toward approving option two.
