Dump fees could go up in March

The Regional Board of Mayors on Monday discussed the possibility of dump rates going up significantly. 

The landfill in Ephrata, to where the garbage from the Delano Regional Transfer Station currently ships, hasn’t raised its rates in 12 years. 

Those rates could go from $28.31 per ton to $46.76 per ton, or $49.93 after tax, Electric City Mayor Diane Kohout said.

That would result in about $72,000 more in annual fees, which, unless other ways to absorb the additional costs are found, may need to be covered by raising rates at Delano to somewhere around $19.25 for the first 200 pounds, up from $12.40 for the first 200 pounds, and 6.2 cents per additional pound, a 55% increase.

Sunrise Disposal, the waste hauler in the area, uses the Delano transfer station, and if rates go up there, Sunrise will have to raise their rates to the cities, which could result in raised garbage rates for residents.

Kohout said she would speak with Sunrise Disposal about how much their rates would go up for each city if they raised the rates at Delano to $19.25.

Randy Gumm, who manages the transfer station, said that they haul 3,400 to 3,500 tons out of Delano each year.