Scott Williams, swilliams@wolfrivermedia.com
Leader File Photo Located at 1099 Rusch Road in Shawano, the Shawano County Landfill is owned by the county and operated by the city as the primary site for household and commercial waste in the area.
After years of financial red ink, the Shawano County Landfill could be on the verge of making a comeback.
Officials are crediting increased user fees and other cost savings with a turnaround that could transform the landfill into a money-maker after financial losses previously exceeding $200,000 a year.
“Things have changed pretty dramatically,” county Corporation Counsel Tony Kordus told members of the Shawano County Board earlier this week.
Members of the board approved a new plan for paying off landfill debts with revenue from the landfill rather than with city or county funds, as had been the practice in the past.
Located at 1099 Rusch Road on the east side of Shawano, the landfill has been the primary site for dumping household and commercial trash in Shawano County for many years. The 45-acre landfill is expected to remain active until approximately the year 2020.
The landfill is owned by Shawano County and is operated by the city of Shawano.
In 2000, the county issued bonds for expansion of the landfill on the assumption that it would generate enough revenue to pay off the bonds. Partly because of decreased usage by some surrounding municipalities, the landfill in recent years has suffered losses as high as $270,000 annually.
The city covered the shortfall temporarily to keep the bond repayments on schedule.
Shawano Public Works Director Eddie Sheppard told county supervisors Wednesday that officials at the city and county have developed a strategy for bolstering the landfill’s financial performance through increased user fees, improved communication and other cost efficiencies.
“You’ve got to run it like a business,” Sheppard said.
The turnaround has been overseen by the Shawano County Solid Waste Management Board, a group that includes regional representation in offering guidance to county and city staffers involved in landfill operations.
Among the changes implemented recently was a fee increase from $47 per ton to $56 per ton to be paid by trash haulers and other landfill patrons.
Improved revenues have been used to reimburse the city for its past losses, and the new plan approved by the County Board this week reflects projections for continued growth in the landfill’s revenues. With the county laying out $270,000 to cover bond payments for 2016, the new plan calls for landfill revenues to reimburse the county over the next two years.
The bonds issued in 2000 are scheduled to be repaid by 2020.
Kordus told county supervisors that the landfill’s cash flow has turned around and should soon be generating income of $200,000 to $300,000 a year.
“The news has been good for well over a year now,” he said.