BRODHEAD - Though members of the Green County Solid Waste Management Board voted last month to hire an outside attorney to rewrite membership contracts, the group instead finalized the documents with the help of corporation counsel.
Landfill Manager Randy Thompson mailed the contracts last week, Board Chairman Richard Vogel said. Members simply need to approve them in municipal meetings, sign the documents and return them.
Initially, both Vogel and Thompson said counsel Brian Bucholtz resisted re-writing the user agreements. Thompson noted that Bucholtz had refused to draft new contracts until members first agreed to sign. In August, Thompson told board members he did not believe municipalities should be asked to agree to something before first reviewing a draft.
Previously, the 13 municipal members of the Green County Transfer Station had been billed monthly. The station would then impose fees to make up for a revenue loss on a month-to-month basis. Members notified the board between early February and August that they would agree to a new annual system.
Membership allows city residents to use the transfer station at a rate of $40 per ton of refuse. If utilizing the facility, which holds solid waste before transferring it to the Janesville landfill, non-members are charged $65 per ton.
Each contract would span from Jan. 1 to Dec. 31. Vogel noted the reason for the switch was to aid different cities with their budget process. Statements of whether additional fees would need to be imposed to make up for a deficit would be sent out in September of each year to accommodate budgets for the following year.
"They'll know exactly what our financial situation is," Vogel said. "It's all basically the timing of the billing."
Members can still "check in" to see whether the transfer station is operating profitably at any time throughout the year, Vogel added.
The previous billing method had been a sticking point for Monroe, which terminated its contract with the transfer station in January 2015 after three years of discussion between the two entities. City Administrator Phil Rath had recommended council members sever ties with the facility because of the fluctuating fee schedule, which made budgeting for use of the facility a difficult process.
Negotiations over a contract renewal between Monroe and the transfer station proceeded until August of that year but were ended by the Monroe Common Council when aldermen decided to test run a program in which the city directly transported trash to Janesville.
Within the last year, Monroe has been considering options regarding garbage transportation. Vogel has expressed a hope to come to an agreement with the city in the future.
Thompson noted that during a meeting of the board on Sept. 14, the budget was also approved and recommended to the Green County Board for final approval. Vogel said the budget showed the transfer station had operated profitably in 2017 and looks to fare similarly in 2018.
Landfill Manager Randy Thompson mailed the contracts last week, Board Chairman Richard Vogel said. Members simply need to approve them in municipal meetings, sign the documents and return them.
Initially, both Vogel and Thompson said counsel Brian Bucholtz resisted re-writing the user agreements. Thompson noted that Bucholtz had refused to draft new contracts until members first agreed to sign. In August, Thompson told board members he did not believe municipalities should be asked to agree to something before first reviewing a draft.
Previously, the 13 municipal members of the Green County Transfer Station had been billed monthly. The station would then impose fees to make up for a revenue loss on a month-to-month basis. Members notified the board between early February and August that they would agree to a new annual system.
Membership allows city residents to use the transfer station at a rate of $40 per ton of refuse. If utilizing the facility, which holds solid waste before transferring it to the Janesville landfill, non-members are charged $65 per ton.
Each contract would span from Jan. 1 to Dec. 31. Vogel noted the reason for the switch was to aid different cities with their budget process. Statements of whether additional fees would need to be imposed to make up for a deficit would be sent out in September of each year to accommodate budgets for the following year.
"They'll know exactly what our financial situation is," Vogel said. "It's all basically the timing of the billing."
Members can still "check in" to see whether the transfer station is operating profitably at any time throughout the year, Vogel added.
The previous billing method had been a sticking point for Monroe, which terminated its contract with the transfer station in January 2015 after three years of discussion between the two entities. City Administrator Phil Rath had recommended council members sever ties with the facility because of the fluctuating fee schedule, which made budgeting for use of the facility a difficult process.
Negotiations over a contract renewal between Monroe and the transfer station proceeded until August of that year but were ended by the Monroe Common Council when aldermen decided to test run a program in which the city directly transported trash to Janesville.
Within the last year, Monroe has been considering options regarding garbage transportation. Vogel has expressed a hope to come to an agreement with the city in the future.
Thompson noted that during a meeting of the board on Sept. 14, the budget was also approved and recommended to the Green County Board for final approval. Vogel said the budget showed the transfer station had operated profitably in 2017 and looks to fare similarly in 2018.