Commissioners consider landfill rate increase

County and city residents alike pay a fee for trash services. The last time that the city raised the landfill fees was in April of 2014 at which time, they raised the price $3.00, from $12.00 to $15.00.

Currently, those rates are: $7.00 for collection, $1.00 for yard waste and $15.00 landfill fees for city residents, but those rates are expected to increase as of January 1 to $8.00 for collection, $2.50 for yard waste disposal and $17.25 landfill charges for a total of $27.75 per month.

All county residents living outside the city limits and including those in Dix and Bushnell are only responsible for landfill charges, at the city’s set rate of $17.25 per month.

Diana Quicke, Kimball County Treasurer, said that county residents are currently being charged $16.00 per month for landfill fees, $1.00 more than city residents to cover administrative costs. For the upcoming Jan. 1, 2017 increase to $17.25, she suggested that the county only charge an additional 75 cents for administrative fees stating, “Hopefully that will be enough for what we need for the program, paper and the time.”

At the Nov. 1 County Commissioners (Board) meeting, Jim Cederberg, chairman of the Kimball Board of Public Works was invited by the board to speak about landfill fees and operating costs. Cederburg began with a City of Kimball spreadsheet that showed revenue and expenses for the landfill for fiscal year 2015-2016, revealing a $613,870.92 planned loss.

According to Cederburg, a rate study had not previously been done for the landfill and when they did finally have one completed this year, the study found, “the current rate structure creates a shortfall in revenues of approximately 18% compared to the 2014-2015 budget.”

The rate study suggests that fees within the city limits would be more appropriate at: $11.00 collection, $1.50 yard waste and $18.67 landfill disposal for residential, with that rate being 1/3 of the commercial fee.

Residents outside the city limits may feel relieved that they are not charged for collection and yard waste fees and yet they are expected to find a way to get their own trash to the dump (as per a state of Nebraska law). Many of those people pay for a garbage truck to come get their trash.

Louie Leal, owner of Tri-State Disposal, Inc., a garbage hauling business, picks up trash from residents outside the city limits and delivers it to the dump for a fee. He charges his customers for the use of both a trash container as well as monthly hauling of the trash but does not charge for the actually dumping of the trash at the landfill as the residents already pay that fee.

On Oct. 1, 1993 Tri-State Disposal, Inc. entered into a contract with Kimball County in which the contract states that the company will haul all trash for residents within the county. It is uncertain if that contract is current and up to date, however there is also no proof that it is not still a legally binding contract. The Board asked for legal council to review the contract. Up until a few weeks ago, Leal was allowed to dump trash at the landfill for free because he was dumping trash for county residents who have already paid their landfill fees.

Recently, the landfill and the City of Kimball began charging Tri-State $50 per bale of trash. When Leal received a recent statement, he was shocked at the new and unexpected charges. He stated at the Nov. 1 Board meeting that he had not been notified of the new fees, however Cederburg insisted that the new fee rates had been Now they will have to add that cost back onto his customers.

Another trash hauling company, Pack-Rat Disposal, owned by Jerry and Conrad Morris from Banner County is also being charged $50 per bale at the landfill. They have had to adjust their rates from $90 to $130 per quarter for a total $520 a year or $43.34 per month in comparison to the projected $8.00 a month city residents will be paying as of the new year.

When asked about the additional fees that the two trash hauling companies will now need to charge to their country customers, Cederberg stated, “the landfill fee is completely separate. City residents pay a charge to pick up their trash from the dumpsters. Those who live in the country have an option, they can bring it to town and there is absolutely no charge or they can pay for a service for someone to pick it up.”

It is unclear, however, why the Village of Dix, that has their own garbage truck, is not being charged the $50.00 per bale fee that Tri-State and Pac-Rat are now currently being charged. According to Sharon McKinney at the Village of Dix, she receives a monthly statement from the City of Kimball for $15 per resident for landfill fees. They are not currently being charged any additional fees.

According to a signed but undated “Interlocal cooperative agreement of solid waste and landfill disposal service” between the City of Kimball and Kimball County from 2014 that runs through 2020, there are no details as to how the City of Kimball spends the money that is collected. Although a verbal agreement may have been made at that time, any specifics were not sited in the contract.

With the fee changes that the City will set in motion as of 2017, the contract will need to be amended. This new amendment could allow other changes to the contract as well.