New London considers disposal fees

By Scott Bellile

A fee to dispose of yard waste at the city drop-off site may be needed to crack down on nonresidents dumping illegally, New London Public Works Director Robert Garske said.

The Board of Public Works failed to reach a consensus on implementing an annual cost and tabled the matter Feb. 6.

Garske proposed charging $10 the first year for a sticker registered to a vehicle and a key card to the gate on Werner-Allen Road, then $5 in subsequent years to renew. This two-step verification system would make sharing access with nonpayers challenging, he said.

Access could be free to all residents following a major storm, Garske said.

Locally, Greenville, Little Chute and Kimberly charge annual fees, according to Garske.

“I’m not out to make and create a bunch of revenue for this site,” Garske said. “I’m just finding a way to curb some of the costs of trying to monitor it and keep the influx of material coming from outside the city.”

Shutting out nonresidents is necessary because the city pays a contractor, DTAK, at least $70,000 per year to haul away truckloads of waste, Garske said. The cost climbs the more non-taxpayers use the drop-off site.

“I think at some point in time we have to try to curb this … and if we aren’t going to raise taxes or something, we’re going to have to cut [free usage] down to provide that service to the people,” Board Chair Mike Barrington said.

“I think this is going to be a real pain in the butt, and we’re going to take a lot of flak from it,” board member Tim Roberts said of the proposal.

Roberts recommends security cameras, ticketing

He said first try more cameras and signage threatening tickets to nonresidents, then charge next year if the issue persists.

Enforcement is tough because city staff must review security footage and get the police involved, City Administrator Chad Hoerth
said.

Hoping to curb abuse, the city had moved the drop-off site to the wastewater treatment plant from Floral Hill Cemetery.

“We had a camera up there, and we couldn’t control it, and so we went to one central location that can be more watched and eliminate some problems,” Mayor Mark Herter said, “but we know we still have an overuse problem.”

How a membership system would affect town of Mukwa residents would be determined. Mukwa contracts with New London for its residents to legally use the site. That contract is up for renewal.