Fremont County Unveils Proposal to Reorganize Island Park Landfill

The February 25, 2016, the Island Park City Council meeting hosted a presentation by Brandon Harris, Public Works Director for Fremont County. Mr. Harris offered an alternative model of operation for the local landfill.

He proposed the following:

    

    Landfill assessments for property owners would be reduced below the rates in place before this year’s 150% increase    

    

    Scales would be installed and fees assessed by weight. Residents’ regular household garbage (approx. 3-5 bags) would be accepted for a modest per trip fee of one to two dollars.

    

    Recycle materials would be dropped off prior to any loads being weighed.

    A transfer station for household garbage would be installed and utilized from fall through spring. Brandon advised that during times of low utilization, the soil used to cover the household waste daily fills the garbage pit faster that the trash. This adjustment will extend the use of the landfill.

    This plan will require a modest expansion of the current landfill. Talks are currently underway with the Forest Service regarding this proposal.

Mr. Harris also announced that 13.2 miles of Yale-Kilgore Road from Elk Creek to Key Springs is slated for improvement in 2018. This includes a complete resurface of the roadway and the construction of an ATV/snowmobile trail along the entire roadway, with the exception of McCrea Bridge. The trail will be wide enough for a groomer to maintain in winter. This project has been made possible by a six million dollar grant that was secured by Fremont County.

The efforts by Fremont County to address the needs of the Island Park community and its visitors are welcome and constructive.

Landfill Fees and Roofless Castles

Fremont County has proposed significantly increasing the landfill fee on county residents by approximately one hundred and fifty percent. The fee increase is necessitated by work that must be done to the county landfill located on the flat. While residents may find an increase of fifteen dollars a month manageable, Island Park businesses will not be so lucky. One business owner advised me that the total landfill fees for his rental cabins will increase by eleven thousand dollars per year.

The landfill fees are much higher for commercial properties than for residences. Business owners of Island Park struggle with limited seasons to earn money and many find it cheaper to shut down in spring and fall. The landfill fee schedule gives no relief for businesses that are not operating during several months of the year and therefore do not use the landfill.  What makes it even more ironic is that the landfill they are being asked to sacrifice for is not the one they use.

Businesses of the caldera have already been hit by a disastrous Labor Day weekend (it rained all weekend) and a short, lean snow season. Now they are asked along with the other residents to pony up a substantial increase in landfill fees to address a problem that has languished for several years.

After World War II, the British government instituted a roof tax. The amount of tax owed was determined by the square footage of a building’s roof. Several families who owned historic castles deliberately caved in the roofs of the medieval buildings rather than pay the substantial tax out of necessity or protest.

The United States Postal Service has continually increased postage in an effort to cover their financial obligations. What they have proven is that as prices rise, the public searches for alternatives to avoid the cost increases. Now they are faced with closing mail distribution centers and reducing services. These cost-cutting measures will result in less revenue than are currently enjoyed.

The county commissioners should look for a formula to address the financial need of the landfill that takes into account actual usage of the landfills. I know of one business which is applying to sell off their rental cabins individually. This will greatly reduce the fees owed to the county. Others are considering removing less profitable structures from their properties. Either way, the county will fail to generate the funds they require if they continue down this road.