July 24, 2018 at 4:52 p.m.
Committee will look at budget
Estimate for recycling trailers has jumped to $138,000 for 2019 from $50,000 in 2013
Committee will look at budget
Jay County Solid Waste Management District will take more time to look at its 2019 budget.
The district board spent most of its meeting Monday discussing its proposed $375,215 budget, which has nearly doubled over the last six years, eventually deciding to create a committee to make recommendations at its August meeting.
The bulk of the budget discussion was about the increased cost for recycling trailers from Waste Management. The proposed budget estimates a cost of $138,000 for “recycling pulls” — the fees for hauling trailers.
That number is up from $105,000 in 2018 and $50,000 in 2013.
Board member Chuck Huffman questioned why the cost has gone up so much, given that the increase on the per-ton fee for recycling has been minimal.
The answer lies in the fees for hauling the trailers to and from recycling sites in Portland, Dunkirk, Redkey, Bryant, Pennville and Salamonia.
Prior to 2015, the district paid a flat fee of $220 per trailer to be taken to and from those sites. However, Waste Management approached then-financial manager Freda Corwin saying it was losing money under that fee system and that a new billing structure would be established when the contract expired that year.
The new structure in the three-year contract that began in May 2015 set up separate fees for each site. While one went down — Redkey dipped to $175 — the rest went up significantly, ranging as high as $318.
The district board approved another three-year contract this year, with fees ranging from $185 (Redkey) to $335 (Pennvile) this year and increasing to between $199 (Redkey) and $359 (Pennville) in the third year.
“I just want to note that the Indiana Recycling Commission director came last week, and we aren’t the only county struggling with hauling fees and recycling costs,” said Rhodehamel, adding that Johnson County is revamping its recycling program because of similar issues. “So, it’s not just us.”
The increases in fees from Waste Management represent part of the reason the district’s budget has increased from $189,810 in 2013 to the proposed $375,215 this year. The budget went up $40,705 in 2016, $45,556 in 2017 and $44,860 in 2018, with a proposed increase of $19,355 for 2019. (The 2019 proposal is nearly $20,000 higher despite the elimination of a one-time $30,000 line item for a new truck in this year’s budget.)
Other increases in the proposed 2019 budget include: $7,000 for groups working at Saturday recycling trailers; $2,500 for a billboard art contest that was held for the first time this year; $1,500 fees for use of a tire recycling service; and about $1,000 for 3-percent raises for both district coordinator Rhodehamel and district coordinator Bettie Jacobs.
While the budget is increasing, Rhodehamel is projecting less money will come in to the district from tipping fees at Jay County Landfill.
The district board spent most of its meeting Monday discussing its proposed $375,215 budget, which has nearly doubled over the last six years, eventually deciding to create a committee to make recommendations at its August meeting.
The bulk of the budget discussion was about the increased cost for recycling trailers from Waste Management. The proposed budget estimates a cost of $138,000 for “recycling pulls” — the fees for hauling trailers.
That number is up from $105,000 in 2018 and $50,000 in 2013.
Board member Chuck Huffman questioned why the cost has gone up so much, given that the increase on the per-ton fee for recycling has been minimal.
The answer lies in the fees for hauling the trailers to and from recycling sites in Portland, Dunkirk, Redkey, Bryant, Pennville and Salamonia.
Prior to 2015, the district paid a flat fee of $220 per trailer to be taken to and from those sites. However, Waste Management approached then-financial manager Freda Corwin saying it was losing money under that fee system and that a new billing structure would be established when the contract expired that year.
The new structure in the three-year contract that began in May 2015 set up separate fees for each site. While one went down — Redkey dipped to $175 — the rest went up significantly, ranging as high as $318.
The district board approved another three-year contract this year, with fees ranging from $185 (Redkey) to $335 (Pennvile) this year and increasing to between $199 (Redkey) and $359 (Pennville) in the third year.
“I just want to note that the Indiana Recycling Commission director came last week, and we aren’t the only county struggling with hauling fees and recycling costs,” said Rhodehamel, adding that Johnson County is revamping its recycling program because of similar issues. “So, it’s not just us.”
The increases in fees from Waste Management represent part of the reason the district’s budget has increased from $189,810 in 2013 to the proposed $375,215 this year. The budget went up $40,705 in 2016, $45,556 in 2017 and $44,860 in 2018, with a proposed increase of $19,355 for 2019. (The 2019 proposal is nearly $20,000 higher despite the elimination of a one-time $30,000 line item for a new truck in this year’s budget.)
Other increases in the proposed 2019 budget include: $7,000 for groups working at Saturday recycling trailers; $2,500 for a billboard art contest that was held for the first time this year; $1,500 fees for use of a tire recycling service; and about $1,000 for 3-percent raises for both district coordinator Rhodehamel and district coordinator Bettie Jacobs.
While the budget is increasing, Rhodehamel is projecting less money will come in to the district from tipping fees at Jay County Landfill.
Thus far in 2018, it has averaged just $19,443.64 per month from the landfill compared to $23,789.08 in 2017. Over the course of a year, that would represent the loss of more than $50,000 in income.
Geesaman said that the landfill recently lost a major contract, leading to the dip in tonnage.
Board member Mike Leonhard suggested increasing the tipping free from the current $1.75 per ton, but there was concern that such a move could lead to even less traffic at the landfill.
During the June meeting, Rhodehamel had suggested several areas for potentially reducing the budget, including its grant for Arts Place’s Arts in the Parks program, education grants, advertising, billboards and recycling trailers on the fifth Saturday of a month.
On Monday, Jacobs advocated for keeping educational and advertising expenditures in place, noting the board’s recent push to strengthen those areas.
Board president Randy Geesaman suggested a gradual approach to fellow board members Bob Vance, Bill Gibson, Barry Hudson, Leonhard and Huffman, absent Gene Ritter.
“We don’t have to dramatically do it all in one year, but we definitely need to take a closer look as things come in in 2019, what we approve and don’t approve,” he said.
Leonhard made a motion that the budget be approved as presented, but it died for lack of a second.
The board then approved a suggestion from Geesaman that he, vice president Chuck Huffman and Rhodehamel be on a committee to review the budget and make recommendations to the full board at the August meeting.
In other business, the board:
•Was reminded that books from the former Pennville Elementary School will be offered free to the public at the district office, 5948 W. Indiana 67, Portland, on the following schedule: noon to 6 p.m. today, 8 a.m. to noon Wednesday, 5 to 7 p.m. Thursday, 9 a.m. to noon Saturday, 8 a.m. to noon Monday, noon to 6 p.m. Aug. 1, 4 to 6 p.m. Aug. 3, noon to 4 p.m. Aug. 6, and 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Aug. 7. Books that are not claimed will be recycled.
•Thanked Vance for his service on the board since January. Vance has resigned his seat on Jay County Council, effective July 31, because he is moving out of the county.
•Heard from Jacobs that the district will have a booth at Jay County Chamber of Commerce’s Senior Expo on Aug. 18.
•Learned 35 bags of recycling was collected at its bins during the Jay County Fair.
•Tabled discussion about a proposed advertising contract with The Commercial Review.
•Paid claims totaling $15,893.52. Income for June was $19,722.52 on 11,383.85 tons dumped at Jay County Landfill. The district has a total balance — checking, savings and investments — of $417,505.90.
Geesaman said that the landfill recently lost a major contract, leading to the dip in tonnage.
Board member Mike Leonhard suggested increasing the tipping free from the current $1.75 per ton, but there was concern that such a move could lead to even less traffic at the landfill.
During the June meeting, Rhodehamel had suggested several areas for potentially reducing the budget, including its grant for Arts Place’s Arts in the Parks program, education grants, advertising, billboards and recycling trailers on the fifth Saturday of a month.
On Monday, Jacobs advocated for keeping educational and advertising expenditures in place, noting the board’s recent push to strengthen those areas.
Board president Randy Geesaman suggested a gradual approach to fellow board members Bob Vance, Bill Gibson, Barry Hudson, Leonhard and Huffman, absent Gene Ritter.
“We don’t have to dramatically do it all in one year, but we definitely need to take a closer look as things come in in 2019, what we approve and don’t approve,” he said.
Leonhard made a motion that the budget be approved as presented, but it died for lack of a second.
The board then approved a suggestion from Geesaman that he, vice president Chuck Huffman and Rhodehamel be on a committee to review the budget and make recommendations to the full board at the August meeting.
In other business, the board:
•Was reminded that books from the former Pennville Elementary School will be offered free to the public at the district office, 5948 W. Indiana 67, Portland, on the following schedule: noon to 6 p.m. today, 8 a.m. to noon Wednesday, 5 to 7 p.m. Thursday, 9 a.m. to noon Saturday, 8 a.m. to noon Monday, noon to 6 p.m. Aug. 1, 4 to 6 p.m. Aug. 3, noon to 4 p.m. Aug. 6, and 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Aug. 7. Books that are not claimed will be recycled.
•Thanked Vance for his service on the board since January. Vance has resigned his seat on Jay County Council, effective July 31, because he is moving out of the county.
•Heard from Jacobs that the district will have a booth at Jay County Chamber of Commerce’s Senior Expo on Aug. 18.
•Learned 35 bags of recycling was collected at its bins during the Jay County Fair.
•Tabled discussion about a proposed advertising contract with The Commercial Review.
•Paid claims totaling $15,893.52. Income for June was $19,722.52 on 11,383.85 tons dumped at Jay County Landfill. The district has a total balance — checking, savings and investments — of $417,505.90.
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