City sets public forum on landfill increases after concerns raised

By Cameron Montemayor

Concerned community members gathered at the City Council chambers in opposition to sharp fee increases being proposed for dumping at the St. Joseph Sanitary Landfill. 

Area residents and business owners appeared at Monday’s City Council meeting to voice concerns with city officials about the potential impact of recently-proposed landfill fee changes on local haulers. City officials had voiced support during a work session Nov. 11 to raise the per-ton rate from $32 to $125 and increase the minimum fee for average personal vehicles from $10 to $32 in order to extend the life of the landfill. 

“It was kind of a surprise to us and it wasn’t a very pleasant surprise,” said Terry Peterson with Redgate Disposal. “I sure hope we can come up with a resolution that is mutually beneficial to everyone involved.”

The sentiment was echoed by others in attendance who expressed shock at the sudden proposal, with many asking for additional time to work with city officials to determine a manageable path forward with the landfill nearing critical capacity. 

“It’s gonna have a negative impact on St. Joe, potentially putting a lot of haulers out of business,” Aaron Armstrong said. 

In light of public concerns, city officials announced Monday they will take a closer look at the proposed free structure and push back implementation of increases to allow for additional community discussion.

St. Joseph will hold a public forum in the City Council chambers on Dec. 3 at 4 p.m. to discuss the landfill and review findings of a life-expectancy study conducted by consulting firm SCS Engineers. A public work session will then follow the forum for further discussion. 

Council had initially planned to introduce the rate hike ordinance for first reading on Monday to make new rates effective as early as January 2025. City Council is now expected to hold off on a formal vote for raising rates until January 2025. 

“We’ve been listening to the public and also trying to resolve our issues that we’ve got,” Mayor John Josendale said. “Right now what we’re looking at is and in hearing what everybody’s been talking about … we’re looking at probably a five tier system.”

Early discussions have favored a five-tier system based on the type of vehicle being used to haul waste plus the per-ton rate, with average cars and SUVs placed into the lowest tier one.

Remaining tiers: 

Tier 2: Pickups and trucks with trailers

Tier 3: Garbage packing trucks

Tier 4: Roll-off containers, dump trucks and semis

Tier 5: Large transfer haulers

The decision to raise landfill disposal rates was made after SCS unveiled eye-opening findings from a study showing the city had experienced a near 50% increase in the rate of dumping over last five years, putting the landfill on pace to reach full capacity and close by next July if not addressed. Consultants attributed the waste increase to St. Joseph’s dumping rates being the cheapest in the state and one of the lowest in the entire country. 

Along with deterring outside dumping from large transfer station haulers, fee increases are being proposed to provide additional time for construction of the next landfill cell. Long-term plans call for the construction of six additional cells over the course of the landfill’s life.  

In an effort to boost the speed and efficiency of certain operations at the landfill, city council members also approved a resolution Monday to purchase an additional weighbridge scale for $76,400 from W H Scale Co., Inc.  

“There has been somewhat of a bottleneck on that with the number of people that are coming into the dump, it takes longer to come in and out for trash haulers,” Josendale said.