Town Hopes Landfill Can Become Profitable

General Manager Scott Shanley would like to see the town revise its fee structure at the it operates off Olcott Street in order to pull it out of deficit, but the Board of Directors asked for more time to consider the proposal Tuesday. 

Currently, according to Shanley, the commercial landfill operates off a fixed fee structure, but Shanley noted that the town's Sanitation Fund had been running a deficit in recent years, which he attributed to the town's reliance on a flat rate in the voluble business of commercial waste disposal. 

"We feel strongly that the fixed fee structure that we currently have is inadequate in the debris that we currently handle," Shanley told the Board of Directors as part of its meeting Tuesday. "The market changes from day to day and week to week."

Shanley noted that 95 percent of the what the landfill takes in is commercial waste, but that proceeds from the landfill and its operations help to fund curbside trash collection for residents, recycling, leaf collection, bulky waste collection, electronic recycling, oil and battery collection and other disposal services in town.

"All of that is paid for from the revenue of the landfill, not from the property tax," he said. 

But Shanley said the landfill had been running at a deficit in recent years, and he was confident that a more adjustable fee structure would allow the town to negotiate rates that would attract more customers. 

"We believe we can turn that around," Shanley said, noting that the state had extended the town's permit to operate the landfill through 2025, and that a new scale and weigh station were recently unveiled at the landfill in an effort to modernize operations. "We are well positioned now to sort of morph our efforts." 

Shanley said the revised fee structure would not affect residents, just businesses. 

Mayor Leo V. Diana said he was in favor of using the landfill as a way to generate more revenue for the town - and even wished that the town could open another landfill. 

"I'd like to make a motion that we have another landfill in town, so we can double the amount of revenue," said Diana, a Democrat. "It pays for a lot of services." 

Republican Mark Tweedie said he still had more questions about the proposal, and asked for it to be tabled. The Board of Directors agreed to table the motion 7-1. 

In other matters Tuesday, the Board appointed Tweedie, John Topping, Steve Gates, Cheri Pelletier to represent it on the , the 13-member group that has been tasked with implementing a plan to repair, rehabilitate and maintain the town's aging public schools. 

Budget and Research Officer Julian Freund also gave the Board of Directors a report on plans to establish a in conjunction with the towns of South Windsor, East Hartford and Hartford. Freund said the towns have chosen to house the shelter at a vacant fire house on Sullivan Avenue in South Windsor, which would save money on construction costs, and were awaiting local zoning approval from the town of South Windsor before they could move forward with converting the former fire house into an animal shelter. 

Town Director Lisa P. O'Neill did not attend the meeting.