MONROE - Tired of unforeseen costs and doubting the value of membership, Monroe has informed the Green County Solid Waste Management Board it is once and for all no longer part of its team. And Monroe is now shopping for a new dumping site, just in case, including a locale right smack in its own backyard.
As a result, Green County Landfill Manager Randy Thompson on Monday predicted his operation will be doomed.
"The county will close our gates," he said. "I was blindsided by this and I was told we were in Monroe's budget for this year.
"I can't see how we'll survive without Monroe. Last year it represented $44,000 of our $66,000 budget. Last month, 58 percent of the stuff we took in came from Monroe."
Relaying its decision last week in the form of a letter written by City Administrator Phil Rath, Monroe has declared it will continue to dump its curbside trash at the county's Broadhead-based landfill for now - but will do so as a non-member of the board at a non-member price of $52 per ton, up $7 per ton from its membership rate.
However, Rath said that increase will offset the anxiety that came with the landfill's miscellaneous and arbitrary month-to-month "additional" costs that has hit the city as hard as a total of $75 per ton when the final bill arrives. Costs that come as wildcards include things like maintenance, equipment, testing and cleanup.
The company Monroe has contacted as a possible alternative is Advanced Disposal, located behind the Farm and Fleet at 129 7th St. Operations Manager Kevin Plummer did return a call seeking comment.
Rath said he hoped Advanced Disposal could offer a better price and would of course be more convenient as far as transport is concerned, but also noted the potential for foul odors could lead to political hurdles.
Thompson scoffed at the idea of using Advanced Disposal, especially in regard to residents' occasional needs to haul away things the trash collectors refuse to handle.
"I'm thinking they would only offer containers for dumping," he said. "What about that refrigerator you want to toss, or the guy who just did remodeling or re-did his roof? Where will those materials go? Or hazardous waste?
"I don't know what Phil Rath is thinking, but he's certainly not doing what's best for Monroe. People will still be paying a price long after he's gone."
If banned from the county landfill, Rath said he did not know at this point how residents would discard such items.
Monroe makes up roughly one-third of the county's population and Rath acknowledged the city does fill more than half of the county landfill, but he said the city lacks a voice while holding only two seats on the 11-seat board.
"Despite being the majority owner, so to speak, we'll never be able to make change," he said.
Rath asked for restructuring last year but heard nothing, he said. He noted such a request goes back to 2012.
"For all of 2014, we operated on good faith," Rath said. "That's not a good plan."
And Rath said the cost variables associated with the relationship cause him the most skepticism.
"Not knowing month to month is difficult," he said. "We need to budget, just like they do. At least set the rates quarterly - but that's not what has happened."
Rath also acknowledged the city isn't guaranteed it can now dump trash as a non-member - that it could be, for lack of a better term, kicked out of the landfill.
"I guess they have the right to refuse service like anyone else, but are they in a financial position to do that?" he said.
Despite the turmoil, Rath hoped a better fit awaits or the dispute can be resolved with the county.
"If nothing else, this creates an opportunity for change that not only benefits Monroe but all parties," he said. "If you are going to be a member of something, you want to know what that means. That's the big question here. In this case, we literally don't know."
The county landfill is adjacent to an original landfill that was established around 1990 but is now defunct. Whether a board member or not, Monroe is on the hook for ongoing cleanup costs of that site, Rath said. The abolishment of trash burning in the late 1980s led to the creation of the county landfill, he added, which serves as a transfer site.
All Green County refuse is eventually hauled to a larger site in Janesville.
As a result, Green County Landfill Manager Randy Thompson on Monday predicted his operation will be doomed.
"The county will close our gates," he said. "I was blindsided by this and I was told we were in Monroe's budget for this year.
"I can't see how we'll survive without Monroe. Last year it represented $44,000 of our $66,000 budget. Last month, 58 percent of the stuff we took in came from Monroe."
Relaying its decision last week in the form of a letter written by City Administrator Phil Rath, Monroe has declared it will continue to dump its curbside trash at the county's Broadhead-based landfill for now - but will do so as a non-member of the board at a non-member price of $52 per ton, up $7 per ton from its membership rate.
However, Rath said that increase will offset the anxiety that came with the landfill's miscellaneous and arbitrary month-to-month "additional" costs that has hit the city as hard as a total of $75 per ton when the final bill arrives. Costs that come as wildcards include things like maintenance, equipment, testing and cleanup.
The company Monroe has contacted as a possible alternative is Advanced Disposal, located behind the Farm and Fleet at 129 7th St. Operations Manager Kevin Plummer did return a call seeking comment.
Rath said he hoped Advanced Disposal could offer a better price and would of course be more convenient as far as transport is concerned, but also noted the potential for foul odors could lead to political hurdles.
Thompson scoffed at the idea of using Advanced Disposal, especially in regard to residents' occasional needs to haul away things the trash collectors refuse to handle.
"I'm thinking they would only offer containers for dumping," he said. "What about that refrigerator you want to toss, or the guy who just did remodeling or re-did his roof? Where will those materials go? Or hazardous waste?
"I don't know what Phil Rath is thinking, but he's certainly not doing what's best for Monroe. People will still be paying a price long after he's gone."
If banned from the county landfill, Rath said he did not know at this point how residents would discard such items.
Monroe makes up roughly one-third of the county's population and Rath acknowledged the city does fill more than half of the county landfill, but he said the city lacks a voice while holding only two seats on the 11-seat board.
"Despite being the majority owner, so to speak, we'll never be able to make change," he said.
Rath asked for restructuring last year but heard nothing, he said. He noted such a request goes back to 2012.
"For all of 2014, we operated on good faith," Rath said. "That's not a good plan."
And Rath said the cost variables associated with the relationship cause him the most skepticism.
"Not knowing month to month is difficult," he said. "We need to budget, just like they do. At least set the rates quarterly - but that's not what has happened."
Rath also acknowledged the city isn't guaranteed it can now dump trash as a non-member - that it could be, for lack of a better term, kicked out of the landfill.
"I guess they have the right to refuse service like anyone else, but are they in a financial position to do that?" he said.
Despite the turmoil, Rath hoped a better fit awaits or the dispute can be resolved with the county.
"If nothing else, this creates an opportunity for change that not only benefits Monroe but all parties," he said. "If you are going to be a member of something, you want to know what that means. That's the big question here. In this case, we literally don't know."
The county landfill is adjacent to an original landfill that was established around 1990 but is now defunct. Whether a board member or not, Monroe is on the hook for ongoing cleanup costs of that site, Rath said. The abolishment of trash burning in the late 1980s led to the creation of the county landfill, he added, which serves as a transfer site.
All Green County refuse is eventually hauled to a larger site in Janesville.