Solid-waste budget strained by exemptions; closing ECCs or cutting free disposal could save ~$2 million, staff says

Milton Towns, director of Environmental Services, told commissioners the disposal and collection enterprise funds are under pressure from contractual CPI increases, growth in waste volume and substantial exemptions for veterans and hardship applicants.

Towns said the veteran exemption alone currently accounts for roughly $384,000 and that the combined impact of multiple exemptions is approaching $3.15 million countywide. "Doing so would allow the disposal assessment probably not to be raised for a number of years, because of the amount of savings in those two things, of about $2,000,000," he said, describing options such as discontinuing free disposal or closing some convenience centers (ECCs) to achieve savings.

Several commissioners opposed closing ECCs, noting heavy local use in some districts. Towns said the disposal fund’s cost increases are largely pass-through contractual charges and tipping fees; collection fund increases reflect growth-driven cart purchases and contract costs. Staff agreed to provide more detailed modeling and the distributional impacts of any ECC changes before bringing recommendations back to the board.