County wrestles with solid-waste fee billing and dormant service authority; staff warn of $1 million shortfall

County staff and outside counsel briefed the Board of Supervisors on the Halifax County Solid Waste Disposal Authority and the logistics of collecting a per-household solid-waste disposal fee, saying legal authority exists but operational gaps have created billing and verification problems.

A county staff presenter summarized the history: the authority was created in 2012 under the state code that permits specialized solid-waste authorities and initially assessed roughly a $49–$50 fee on real-estate tax bills. He said a 2019 authority-level change moved the fee onto personal-property tax bills, a change staff and the treasurer later questioned because personal-property billing is oriented toward vehicles and other items and can make per-household collection harder to verify.

"That is the fee that we're talking about and that is the fee that it's been this sort of the whole time," the presenter said, explaining the authority, not the county, imposes the fee. The presenter told the board the county has not had an active Solid Waste Authority board since about 2019 and recommended reappointing members so the authority can meet, revise the 2019 resolution and return the fee to the real-estate tax bill if appropriate.

Staff and counsel discussed alternatives for collection, including real-estate billing, personal-property billing, individual monthly billing or including the charge on utility bills. The treasurer has indicated a preference to return the fee to the real-estate bill if the authority revises the ordinance and the recordkeeping is available.

Board members and staff flagged the budgetary consequence: staff said the county risks being roughly "$1,000,000 short on revenue for the 26 budget" if the fee is not collected this fiscal year. The board discussed appointing an authority, clarifying the ordinance and deciding short-term administrative steps to collect revenue for the current year while the longer-term billing method is fixed.

The board did not adopt a final collection method during the meeting but directed staff to research records, reconstitute the authority and return with a recommendation. Ending: Staff said reappointing the Solid Waste Disposal Authority and clarifying the ordinance are prerequisites to restoring prior billing practices and collecting the fee this fiscal year.