Study: Lewis should raise tipping fees
LOWVILLE — Lewis County should consider raising its tipping fees to better cover operational expenses and avoid taxpayer subsidies, according to a study of its solid waste management program.
"It needs to pay for itself," said John J. Condino of Syracuse engineering firm Barton & Loguidice.
Mr. Condino presented results of the approximately $18,000 study, funded by the Development Authority of the North Country, at the DANC board of directors meeting Thursday in the legislative chambers at the Lewis County Courthouse.
Six of 10 county legislators — including Vice Chairman Richard C. Lucas, R-Barnes Corners, a member of the DANC board — attended the meeting, as did several other county officials.
The current cost of solid waste operations amounts to about $87 per ton, but that does not include money being set aside in specific reserve funds for future equipment purchases or capital upgrades, according to the study. Operating a self-sustaining system with a reserve program would bump the cost up to $118 per ton, the study states.
The latter figure is "not unrealistic" and comparable to the cost of operations in Jefferson and St. Lawrence counties, Mr. Condino said.
However, he said, the cost may be reduced to $106 per ton if Lewis County were to accept and process all of St. Lawrence County's recyclables, essentially doubling the 1,000 to 1,200 tons now handled annually at the county's recycling facility just north of the village. Such a tactic should probably be looked at as a short-term solution, Mr. Condino said. While taking on the higher volume of recyclables would theoretically double revenues from their sale, the price received for them can fluctuate dramatically, he said.
Exporting Lewis County recyclables to an outside processing facility would result in an overall solid waste program cost of about $116 per ton, the study states.
Barton & Loguidice also considered other alternatives, such as having DANC or a private hauling firm oversee the county's solid waste operations.
Authority ownership and operation would cost an estimated $123 per ton, but Mr. Condino said that figure includes up-front costs of new facilities and equipment. DANC could also operate the county system under a contractual agreement, as it does with municipal water and sewer systems, he said.
The cost of having a private hauler administer the solid waste system — as is done in Monroe and Ontario counties — would depend upon the bidding process, Mr. Condino said.
Lewis County annually contributes about 25,000 tons of trash to the DANC regional landfill in Rodman, with about 14,000 tons of that taken directly by private haulers and the rest routed through transfer stations in Lowville and Croghan, he said.
DANC charges a tipping fee of $42 per ton to both commercial haulers and its member counties.
Lewis County charges $66 per ton for most garbage brought to its Lowville transfer site and $25 per cubic yard at the Croghan site, which doesn't have a scale. It adds a $7 per ton surcharge on direct-hauled trash.
The study recommends that the county simplify its billing and administrative procedures. Mr. Condino specifically mentioned the direct-haul surcharge as difficult to administer.
Lewis County officials in January increased tipping fees on bulk and per-bag household garbage, construction waste and larger trash items such as tires to make the solid waste department more self-sufficient. However, with a projected drop in revenue from garbage collection and recycling sales next year, the $1.49 million solid waste budget anticipates a net cost to county taxpayers of $65,000.
The county has historically used a significant amount of tax money to subsidize its solid waste operations, said James W. Wright, DANC's executive director. Actual residential use costs also vary by region, since some towns haul garbage to transfer sites and cover the expense through property taxes, he said.
The Barton & Loguidice study will provide county officials with a "laundry list of options" that could improve their operation, Mr. Wright said.
The authority has offered to commission similar studies for Jefferson and St. Lawrence counties and is exploring ways to foster shared operations and possible coordinated marketing of recyclables between its partnering counties, he said.
