County supervisors have unanimously pumped the brakes on a proposed 2027 landfill fee schedule, sending the proposal back to the Public Works (PW) committee after questioning steep hikes and newly introduced drop-off costs. (Photo by Kelli Miller)

CHENANGO COUNTY — County supervisors have unanimously pumped the brakes on a proposed 2027 landfill fee schedule, sending the proposal back to the Public Works (PW) committee after questioning steep hikes and newly introduced drop-off costs.

During a recent county board meeting, supervisors raised concerns over the many disposal items facing significant increases, alongside charges being applied to services that were previously free.

A few of the proposed rate adjustments included:

Bag Rate: Increased from $3 to a proposed $4.

Asbestos: Jumped from $85 a ton to a proposed $250 a ton.

Antifreeze: Increased from $2 per gallon to a proposed $5 per gallon.

Fluorescent Bulbs: Shifted from free to a proposed $1 each.

Brush by the carload: Initially shifted from free to a proposed $10 fee, though committee discussions have since targeted the fee removal.

Norwich Ward 4, 5, 6 Supervisor and PW Committee Member Robert Jeffrey questioned the rationale behind several hikes, particularly noting they had previously only discussed a bag rate increase, leaving other adjustments off the table until now.

Environmental and safety concerns took center stage as supervisors debated the fallout of user fees.

Jeffrey cautioned that charging for antifreeze disposal could encourage improper dumping, warning that "improper disposal due to costs poses a danger to animals."

Jeffrey also raised alarms over the dramatic increase in asbestos disposal costs, suggesting that a rate closer to $200 per ton would be more appropriate given the county's inventory of deteriorating homes requiring asbestos remediation.

He noted that residents bringing in a carload of brush are likely only disposing of minor yard twigs, making bagging a cheaper workaround.

Norwich Ward 1, 2, 3 Supervisor James McNeil echoed Jeffrey’s concerns over the cost of brush by the carload and warned that introducing a fee for brush disposal could drive residents toward illegal burning.

During the September PW meeting, the committee once again reviewed the tipping schedule fees, looking for reason and resolve.

PW Deputy Dustin Hendricks explained that high daily rental expenses for wood chippers were straining the transfer station, driven largely by arborists hauling in heavy truckloads of brush rather than chipping materials on-site.

To address the pushback, the committee recommended eliminating the brush carload fee entirely, potentially shifting focus exclusively to heavy commercial truckloads, in hopes of approval by the board at the next meeting in October.

Additional 2027 rate adjustments may include:

Weighed MSW: Increasing from $75 to $85 a ton

Furniture: Increasing from $8 to $10 per item

Car/Truck Tires: Increasing from $3.50 to $5 per tire

Despite the proposed changes, officials confirmed that batteries, scrap metal, recyclables, electronics, paint, and used motor oil will remain free of charge.