Logan County Landfill use fees to increase

Rates will be going up at the Logan County Landfill this year.

Landfill Supervisor Josh Cline told the commissioners that the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment will be increasing user fees for solid waste disposal from 35 cents to 39 cents per cubic yard July 1.

Commissioner Jerry Sonnenberg asked if CDPHE provided a reason justifying the rate increase; Commissioner Mike Brownell said the email noted the rates haven’t gone up since 2010. Cline said the notification only referenced administrative costs for how the funds are used.

“It’s absolutely ridiculous that CDPHE would raise the fees without some sort of basis that they need to cover some additional costs,” Sonnenberg said.

Based on last year’s usage, Cline said the landfill would see an increase of about $2,300 combined in its two busiest quarters.

Cline said the increase will not affect the landfill budget as those user fees are passed through to landfill customers. He plans to send a letter to customers advising them of the coming price increase, which Sonnenberg offered to help draft.

“I’d make that letter very clear that this is so CDPHE can have more administrators,” he said.

Follow-up discussion on debris from a former hemp operation west of Sterling resulted in a consensus against action at this time. Sonnenberg raised the matter during the April 2 meeting, saying he’d received complaints that the wrap around the hemp bales at the site was coming loose and blowing around.

The former landowner went through bankruptcy and the commissioners were uncertain who owns the property at this time. Sonnenberg raised concerns that if the county were to go in and clean up the site, there would be no way to recoup the costs.

Prior discussion had raised the possibility that the site could be considered an illegal dump site, as some debris had been buried on the land. Commissioner Joe Mcbride said that because it was an agricultural venture, he was reluctant to take any action that might trigger costs for other farmers.

The commissioners agreed to monitor the situation for now.