County reports sharp drop in transfer-station wait times after layout changes

Mike Moss, Public Services director, told the County Commissioners' workshop that county staff and the private operator made changes at the transfer station and saw a marked reduction in wait times for commercial trailers.
Moss said the county had received complaints of waits “up to, you know, 3, 3 and a half hours” for commercial trailers and dump trucks. Over the last weekend the operator removed a wall near the conveyor belt and separated packer-truck traffic from commercial trailer traffic; Moss said staff observed the line drop and the operator reported that wait times fell to about 17 minutes for trailer traffic. "The longest I saw," Moss said, "this yesterday is, like, 23 minutes. This morning, there was no trucks, trailers in line when I arrived."
The board was given several operational clarifications: the operator routes packer trucks to the north end and commercial trailers to the south end; the county plans to allow residential trailers at the Tootle drop box (a county drop-box referenced in the meeting) beginning the coming Saturday to reduce transfer-station traffic; and some north-county packer trucks will be allowed to haul directly to the landfill to reduce local transfer-station arrivals. Moss also said the county will allow certain direct hauls from the Tootle drop box to the landfill for full boxes to reduce double-handling.
Why it matters: long waits had generated repeated citizen complaints. County staff said the recent layout and routing changes produced materially lower waits in spot checks but pledged ongoing monitoring and a contingency plan if delays reappear.
Moss emphasized monitoring and next steps. He said staff will receive wait-time data daily or weekly from the operator and will perform spot checks; if complaints resume the county will pursue a "plan B." Commissioners asked where payment would be collected for loads that go directly to the landfill; Moss said the landfill accepts “account only” payments for those larger trailer hauls while the Tootle drop box takes cash on site.
Discussion vs. direction vs. decision: Commissioners received a status report and asked operational questions (discussion). Staff described specific changes already implemented (direction by operator) and announced an operational change to allow residential trailers at the Tootle drop box starting Saturday (direction/implementation). No formal board motion or vote occurred.
Ending: Staff said they will continue daily/weekly monitoring and provide a report to the board in the next two weeks if the improvements hold. If wait times rise again, staff will return with alternative options.