MONROE - The Green County Transfer Station's decision to accept trash only from members has pushed the landfill committee to consider how it can generate more business to make up for lost revenue. If it is unable to bring in new members, eventually the facility may have to close its doors, officials say.
Last week, the transfer station announced that effective Dec. 1, it will no longer accept trash from residents of non-member communities - most notably the city of Monroe. The town of Monroe is also not a member community of the transfer station.
Monroe has been using the facility as a non-member since it decided at the beginning of the year to cancel its membership in the midst of three years of contract talks between the city and the county's solid waste management committee, which oversees the transfer station. The contract negotiations broke down at the end of August, with Monroe saying it would look into taking city-collected trash directly to Janesville. At the time, city officials said they were assured by the transfer station that the city would be able to continue to use the transfer station in the future.
The transfer station, which serves as a holding location that transitions local solid waste to the Janesville landfill for burial, has had its best year yet, according to Steve Stettler, a solid waste management committee member.
According to the 2016 budget submitted earlier this month to the Green County Board of Supervisors, the transfer station expects to end 2015 with total expenses of $813,000 and total revenues of almost $831,000 for a surplus of almost $18,000. Expenses in 2016 are expected to jump to almost $898,000, offset by revenues of $927,000 for a surplus of $29,000.
Last year, the transfer station's revenues were about $927,000 while its expenses were just more than $916,000 for a surplus of about $10,000.
However, numbers for 2016 are now uncertain. The proposed budget was put forward by the waste management committee before the decision was made to only accept garbage from member communities. Green County Transfer Station Manager Randy Thompson said the change to a member-only landfill could bring the operations total down, along with the amount of revenue brought in, though the landfill committee is looking into bringing other haulers and local businesses to contribute trash to make up for the absence of Monroe. Revenue is dependent on the amount of garbage brought in.
Thompson said that while operational costs will go down with less garbage coming into the facility, the lack of business also decreases the revenue side.
The sale of Rock Disposal in Monroe has also limited revenue. When Advanced Disposal took over the facility in July, the transfer station lost an influx of money-making garbage. Still, the committee felt the decision to not accept garbage from non-members was the right choice for its current members.
"Hopefully we'll be stronger for it," Stettler said. "We'll make the right decisions."
The transfer station is not requesting money from the county tax levy for 2015 or 2016. The transfer station is run solely on the funds of member fees, and Stettler said all decisions would be made with those members in mind. If a surplus is not achieved, extra operations costs fall on members. If the facility were to become dependent on raising costs of members beyond what is deemed affordable, Stettler said the transfer station would most likely close.
Looking toward the future, Stettler said dire measures such as layoffs and cuts to the facility would not happen until 2017 at the earliest, if at all.
"Closing is always an option if things aren't going well," Stettler said. "But in the long run, it would be economically bad."
Thompson echoed that sentiment. He said the possibility of a monopoly forming on the trash disposal business if the transfer station were to close is an important reason to keep the facility open.
"If we're gone, corporations can charge whatever they want," Thompson said.
However, he noted that without bringing in new business to make up for its recent loss of the city of Monroe, he does not foresee the facility remaining open for long.
The Green County Board votes on the full county budget at its meeting on Nov. 10, but Stettler said updating the transfer station's budget number before then is unnecessary because the facility operates without tax funding. He added that a restructuring of the budget for next year and choices regarding operations would be discussed at length during the committee's meeting set for Nov. 12.
Last week, the transfer station announced that effective Dec. 1, it will no longer accept trash from residents of non-member communities - most notably the city of Monroe. The town of Monroe is also not a member community of the transfer station.
Monroe has been using the facility as a non-member since it decided at the beginning of the year to cancel its membership in the midst of three years of contract talks between the city and the county's solid waste management committee, which oversees the transfer station. The contract negotiations broke down at the end of August, with Monroe saying it would look into taking city-collected trash directly to Janesville. At the time, city officials said they were assured by the transfer station that the city would be able to continue to use the transfer station in the future.
The transfer station, which serves as a holding location that transitions local solid waste to the Janesville landfill for burial, has had its best year yet, according to Steve Stettler, a solid waste management committee member.
According to the 2016 budget submitted earlier this month to the Green County Board of Supervisors, the transfer station expects to end 2015 with total expenses of $813,000 and total revenues of almost $831,000 for a surplus of almost $18,000. Expenses in 2016 are expected to jump to almost $898,000, offset by revenues of $927,000 for a surplus of $29,000.
Last year, the transfer station's revenues were about $927,000 while its expenses were just more than $916,000 for a surplus of about $10,000.
However, numbers for 2016 are now uncertain. The proposed budget was put forward by the waste management committee before the decision was made to only accept garbage from member communities. Green County Transfer Station Manager Randy Thompson said the change to a member-only landfill could bring the operations total down, along with the amount of revenue brought in, though the landfill committee is looking into bringing other haulers and local businesses to contribute trash to make up for the absence of Monroe. Revenue is dependent on the amount of garbage brought in.
Thompson said that while operational costs will go down with less garbage coming into the facility, the lack of business also decreases the revenue side.
The sale of Rock Disposal in Monroe has also limited revenue. When Advanced Disposal took over the facility in July, the transfer station lost an influx of money-making garbage. Still, the committee felt the decision to not accept garbage from non-members was the right choice for its current members.
"Hopefully we'll be stronger for it," Stettler said. "We'll make the right decisions."
The transfer station is not requesting money from the county tax levy for 2015 or 2016. The transfer station is run solely on the funds of member fees, and Stettler said all decisions would be made with those members in mind. If a surplus is not achieved, extra operations costs fall on members. If the facility were to become dependent on raising costs of members beyond what is deemed affordable, Stettler said the transfer station would most likely close.
Looking toward the future, Stettler said dire measures such as layoffs and cuts to the facility would not happen until 2017 at the earliest, if at all.
"Closing is always an option if things aren't going well," Stettler said. "But in the long run, it would be economically bad."
Thompson echoed that sentiment. He said the possibility of a monopoly forming on the trash disposal business if the transfer station were to close is an important reason to keep the facility open.
"If we're gone, corporations can charge whatever they want," Thompson said.
However, he noted that without bringing in new business to make up for its recent loss of the city of Monroe, he does not foresee the facility remaining open for long.
The Green County Board votes on the full county budget at its meeting on Nov. 10, but Stettler said updating the transfer station's budget number before then is unnecessary because the facility operates without tax funding. He added that a restructuring of the budget for next year and choices regarding operations would be discussed at length during the committee's meeting set for Nov. 12.