Washington County to open landfill first Saturday of each month on trial basis

The Washington County Board of Commissioners voted Oct. 3 to open the county landfill on the first Saturday of each month on a trial basis, following a departmental update on usage patterns.

Danny Reynolds, Landfill Supervisor, presented data and a graph showing Saturday visits and recommended closing Saturdays because volumes did not justify the cost. Commissioners debated options and County Manager Curtis Potter proposed a compromise to maintain limited Saturday hours for public convenience.

Commissioner Carol Phelps moved to open the landfill the first Saturday of every month starting in November on a trial basis; Commissioner Ann Keyes seconded the motion, which passed unanimously. The board directed staff to solicit public feedback during the trial period and return with results.

Missy Dixon, Finance Officer, previously cautioned there will be a forthcoming audit finding related to landfill closure/post-closure capacity that will require an adjustment in the county’s accounting for closure costs. The board did not take additional budgetary action at the meeting.

The landfill web page lists acceptable and unacceptable materials, and Reynolds said that list will remain the county’s reference for what the facility will accept. The board will review public input and operational data after the trial period before making a permanent schedule change.

Next steps: the first Saturday openings are slated to begin in November (trial), staff will collect public feedback and operational data, and the board will revisit the schedule based on that information.