County staff warn of lost revenue after Flemington franchise award to private hauler

County solid-waste staff told the Board of Commissioners that the City of Flemington’s recent franchise agreement with a private waste hauler could significantly reduce county solid-waste revenues.

Staff said the private franchise will capture commercial dumpsters and residential collections in parts of Flemington; preliminary accounting from the county’s review showed an annual loss on the business-dumpster side of about $58,008.24, plus refunds and cart-replacement costs estimated in the thousands. Staff said the county currently collects tipping fees that helped fund capital projects in the sanitation CIP and that the loss of commercial dumpsters would reduce that revenue stream.

Commissioners asked staff to meet with city representatives and the hauler to negotiate a smoother transition and to see whether the municipality could help offset revenue losses or arrange for the private hauler to continue using the county landfill for tipping. Staff said they would develop numbers and options and report back; commissioners emphasized a desire for a negotiated solution to protect the county’s sanitation program and CIP funding.