Solid waste debate continues for council

The Maryville City Council has scheduled one last discussion during its regular session this evening with regard to the fate of the fiscally troubled municipal solid waste transfer station prior to a self-imposed Jan. 25 deadline for deciding how to dispose of the facility once and for all.

The station, where refuse is compacted and loaded onto trucks for transport to approved landfills, was established after Maryville’s own landfill was closed in 2001 under orders from the Missouri Department of Natural Resources.

Originally the station was supposed to be self-supporting through the collection “tipping fees” paid by private haulers who collect waste from local homes and businesses. However, since Porter Trash Service opened its privately operated Highway 136 Transfer Station in late 2012, the city facility has operated at a yearly deficit of around $100,000.

Council debate over the issue has gone on for months with options ranging from municipalizing solid waste disposal by competitively awarding a contract to a single hauler to closing the station altogether.

Municipalization has been strongly opposed by the half-dozen or so haulers currently serving Maryville customers, since it would likely drive at least some of them out of business. The council has also been reluctant to move forward with a waste disposal service that would spell hardship for the haulers, most of whom operate as small family-owned companies.

The haulers have also expressed reservations about closing the station, since they fear Porter, without competition, would significantly raise tipping fees.

In an effort address those concerns, the council urged haulers to consider forming a co-op that would lease the transfer station from the city and run it like a private business.

A request-for-proposals last fall resulted in two offers: one from the newly formed Maryville Trash Cooperative consisting of Klosek’s Trash Service, Mozingo Sanitation, and Gaskill & Son Trash Service, and one from American Recycling & Sanitation Inc. of Rock Port.

After reviewing bids from each entity in December, the council asked staff to put together an estimate determining which bid would save the city the most money in terms of dumping street sweepings and other city waste. That report is to be presented to the council tonight.

City Manager Greg McDanel said last month that the projected transfer station deficit for fiscal 2016 is $75,000, an amount that includes an annual $30,000 the city is required to pay Missouri DNR for environmental monitoring of the old landfill.

McDanel said the DNR fee will remain in place as a municipal liability regardless of whether the city leases the transfer station or closes it altogether, meaning that leasing or shutting down the station would save taxpayers around $45,000 a year.

On other fronts, the council is expected to approve a contract with the engineering firm of Snyder & Associates for a preliminary engineering report with regard to the proposed southwest lift station improvement project.

The station, which mechanically forces more than half of the city’s sewage volume into pipelines flowing eastward to the wastewater treatment plant, has experienced recurring pump issues and other problems.

A half-million dollars has been set aside in the current budget to rebuild the station, though the line item is considered a “placeholder” pending possible receipt of Community Development Block Grant funds though the Missouri Department of Economic Development.

In a written report to the council, McDanel said the preliminary engineering report is a part of the process required to move forward with the grant application.

Tonight’s council meeting begins at 7 p.m. at City Hall, located at 415 N. Market St.