County supervisors raise Edinburg tipping fees for solid waste
By MICHAEL ANICH, The Leader-Herald
JOHNSTOWN - The town of Edinburg may not renew its waste contract with Fulton County because of a Nov. 10 decision by the Board of Supervisors that raised the town's landfill fees by $10 per ton to the same $65 per ton rate charged to six other out-of-county municipalities.
The Saratoga County town has provided about $130,000 in revenue to the Fulton County Department of Solid Waste since it forged an agreement with the County Sanitary Landfill on Mud Road in the mid-1990s. A new contract remains unsigned.
"I certainly will see what other options are available," Edinburg Supervisor Jean Raymond said Thursday.
The Board of Supervisors met in regular session Nov. 10 and approved a handful of out-of-county waste contracts that Fulton County has dealt with many years. The board approved separate 2009 contracts at $65 per ton with the villages of Schoharie, Middleburgh, Schuylerville and Richmondville, and the towns of Hadley and Niskayuna.
But when the board considered the town of Edinburg's contract at $55 per ton, there was some backlash to that municipality paying $10 less per ton than the others.
County officials have said for years that Edinburg was among the first outside contracts, and the county has a different business relationship with that town that borders Fulton County.
Johnstown 3rd Ward Supervisor John Callery said Nov. 10 at the board meeting that he wished to see the town of Edinburg also pay $65 per ton in landfill tipping fees for 2009.
"I agree," said Mayfield Supervisor Alan McLain. "You know what, agreements change. We need money like everybody else does."
McLain termed the town of Edinburg a "well off" municipality that can afford the extra $10 per ton.
But Raymond said Thursday she was upset by the decision by Fulton County lawmakers,
"I'm extremely disappointed that they went out and did this after our budget was in place," she said.
The Edinburg supervisor said the extra $10 per ton may end up costing her municipality an extra $5,000 annually that it must pay Fulton County.
"We've had a very good relationship," Raymond said, but now her town will be looking elsewhere.
Cindy Livingston, deputy director of the Fulton County Department of Solid Waste, said Thursday that Edinburg was the first of the county's "neighborly contracts" with outside municipalities. The county also had a much larger sludge contract with the Oneida-Herkimer Solid Waste Management Authority in Utica that was begun in 1991, but that deal has since expired.
Livingston said Edinburg's contract started partially in 2005, with 447 tons deposited and $24,448 in revenue received by the county. In 2006, the tonnage was 676 tons with $37,187 in revenue. In 2007, 668 tons of Edinburg waste was deposited with $36,775 in revenue realized. Through October, the town deposited 562 tons for $30,902 in revenue.
She said the county had received $129,312 in revenue from Edinburg through October of this year.
Gloversville 4th Ward Supervisor Anthony C. Buanno, chairman of the Board of Supervisors' Environmental Resources Committee, said Friday he was "a little upset" about the board recently raising Edinburg's fees. He said Raymond has helped out Fulton County in many issues such as those involving the Hudson River-Regulating District around the Great Sacandaga Lake.
Buanno said he has conferred with Department of Solid Waste Director Jeff Bouchard, who told him Edinburg will probably cancel its contract with Fulton County.
"They were one of our best customers and we're going to lose them," Buanno said. "They were more or less reliable."
Bouchard couldn't be reached for comment Thursday or Friday.
In other solid waste matters tackled by the board recently, supervisors authorized several transfer station agreements for the Department of Solid Waste for 2009-2013. The board also authorized two contracts with Barton & Loguidice of Syracuse for cross-sectioning services and environmental monitoring services. The $4,700 cross-sectioning deal involves survey work to satisfy the county's landfill permit with the state Department of Environmental Conservation.
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harleysdad
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11-23-08 11:37 AM
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What will we do with our trash? We have elected most of them to be supervisors and councilpeople
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harleysdad
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11-23-08 11:36 AM
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What will we do with our trash? We have elected most of them to be supervisors and councilpeople
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givemeabreak
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11-23-08 10:02 AM
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note the sarcasism....
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givemeabreak
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11-23-08 10:01 AM
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"the villages of Schoharie, Middleburgh, Schuylerville and Richmondville, and the towns of Hadley and Niskayuna and town of Edinburg" WHAT WILL FULTON COUNTY RESIDENTS DO WITH THEIR TRASH IN ABOUT 10 TO 15 YEARS? Haw you supervisors ever thought about that? the landfill will be FULL... let them deposit their garbage in their own township... Why should us Fulton County residents take on others garbage? We have enough of our own. it sounds like some people are pretty greedy. money money money... don't care about future they won't be here to have to worry about it. AGAIN NICE JOB SUPERVISORS !!! to the sarcasism.
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Discobulous
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11-23-08 1:58 AM
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That won't matter much. Most people in Edinburg dump their trash in their back fields.
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