County may boost some landfill fees

BONNERS FERRY — There are some changes in motion concerning the Boundary County Landfill.

A public hearing will be held at 10 a.m. on Aug. 10 in the Commissioners Chambers at Boundary County Courthouse to accept public comment on establishing a commercial wood and lawn disposal fee for the Boundary Solid Waste Department.

“We have to have a public hearing because we’ve never had a fee before,” said Dan Dinning, county commissioner.

A fee, however, is becoming rather necessary.

“It is costing more than $30,000 to ground it up and haul it away,” said Dinning.

The commissioners are also looking at a minimum 3 percent solid waste fee increase for all property owners that generate trash.

It’s been several years since there’s been an increase and the Solid Waste Department is under budget.

If the solid waste fee increase goes above 5 percent, a public hearing will have to be held.

According to Claine Skeen, Boundary County Solid Waste supervisor, money is needed

for a reengineering study, new scales, and just general operations.

However, the commissioners are still working on the preliminary budget and nothing has been decided on the solid waste fee increase yet.