Council, supervisors discuss solid waste-related legislation

     This article pertains to information shared at both the March 10 Monticello City Council meeting and the March 11 Jones County Board of Supervisors meeting.

   The Monticello City Council held a special meeting on March 10. Council member Dave Goedken, who is a liaison to the Jones County Solid Waste Management Commission, updated the council on some recent legislation concerning solid waste collections that made it out of the legislative funnel in Des Moines.

   “At the transfer station (Solid Waste), we’ve got a serious problem,” Goedken said.

   Senate Study Bill (SB 1190), which has since been amended and is now known as Senate File (SF 589), pertained to “solid waste collection and disposal by establishing a maximum rate increase charged by governmental entities (cities and counties) are creating a property tax rebate for service charges.”

   The bill stated that “the aggregate of the rates and charges for solid waste collection and disposal services shall not exceed the lower of 102 percent of the aggregate of the rates and charges from the previous budget year or the percentage increase in the consumer price index for the Midwest region…”

   “ECICOG (East Central Iowa Council of Governments) informed us that apparently somebody has been abusing garbage rates,” Goedken said. “It made it through the (legislative) funnel to cap the limit to what we can raise solid waste rates. Basically if the state passes this law and locks in the increase on garbage rates.”

   Prior to Feb. 1, Solid Waste updated its 28E agreements with various government entities, notifying them that the garbage rates would go up $5 a ton and recycling up $10 a ton on July 1, the start of the next fiscal year.

   “We had to charge the rate because we weren’t making money,” Goedken said. “We were losing money. Our accounts were dwindling. It’s going to take quite a bit more to run it (Solid Waste). If the state passes that bill and it goes into effect, we’re not going to be able to operate.

   “Under our 28E agreement, we could vote and close the transfer station and divide whatever assets we have amongst the members,” continued Goedken. “Then it’s up to each of the member how they’re going to get their garbage hauled.”

   SB 1190 also allowed property owners in cities and counties to opt out of their current disposal service, and receive a rebate for opting out.

   “A county board of supervisors or city council…shall provide a property tax rebate to real property owners that opt out of using county- of city-provided solid waste collection and disposal services when these services are provided to the real property owner without being charged a fee. The rebate shall equal the amount of property taxes paid by the real property owner that is allocated by the county board of supervisors or city council to fund solid waste collection and disposal services for the most recently completed fiscal year.”

   On top of the legislative bill, Goedken said the other issue with solid waste is a possible $20,000 fine by the DNR.

   “We have the DNR out there checking on us,” he said. “They’re trying to tell us that most other transfer stations have their floor (property) clean We’re working with our ECICOG representative to try and get a meeting with the DNR.”

   “I’d like more clarification on this, on both issues, before I get all excited about it,” said Council member Mary Phelan.

   “It’ll get really bad really quick if we end up getting a fine,” Goedken continued. “It’ll have to get paid out of garbage rates one way or another. The fine comes from not moving the garbage out fast enough. There’s too much garbage in there. The rates are going to have to go up and we don’t have the ability to change them.”

   The very next day, March 11, during the Jones County Supervisors meeting, Supervisor Jeff Swisher, also a liaison to the Solid Waste Management Commission, provided an update, noting that SB 1190 had now become SF 589. By that morning, the bill had already been referred to the Senate Ways & Means Committee.

   The biggest change between the two bills was the elimination was the rate increase. The only substance of the bill now is allowing city and county residents to opt out of their provided disposal service and the ability to receive a rebate in doing so.

   “It no longer includes a cap on the annual increase for collections and disposal fees. So it looks like we’re OK right now,” Swisher said. “(SF 589) allows everybody to pick their own haulers and take their garbage somewhere else. I’d like to see what their reasoning is on that.”

   “How can you budget for something like that?” asked Supervisor Jon Zirkelbach.

   He added that the opt-out measure will hurt Jones County Solid Waste.

   County boards of supervisors and city councils “shall allow a real property owner to opt out of using county/city-provided solid waste services provided to the real property owner by a different entity. A property owner that opts out of county/city-provided solid waste and disposal services shall not be charged any fees associated with such services from the county/city.”

   The bill further explained that counties and cities “shall approve the (property owner’s) application unless the information provided is not satisfactory…

   “The opt-put will continue until the real property owner opts back into the service or the title of the property changes.”

   Pertaining to the DNR fine, Swisher offered, “We’re dealing with hauling issues, trying to get more loads out of the solid waste station. We’re working on it.”

   “It’d be nice to try and figure out how to get that caught up. We don’t want to be on the DNR’s radar,” added Supervisor John Schlarmann.