By Sara Quam
Trying to balance adequate services against the bottom line was an issue for the Luverne City Council Tuesday as it discussed garbage options and fire protection.
Meeting as Committee of the Whole, the council didn't take formal action on either topic.
The garbage issue has surfaced for the city in light of the city allowing Ketterling Services to take on some of the city's customers. In losing those customers, the city has lost revenue and is looking at what it can do to make it up.
Taking its municipal solid waste to Lyon County, which has a lower per ton charge than Rock County, may be one option. The city has done this for three months now to save money. But without the city of Luverne supporting the Rock County Transfer Station, it may not be able to stay open at its current level. Luverne is the county's biggest customer at the landfill.
The Rock County Transfer Station gets collections from the city and then contracts with Ketterling to haul municipal solid waste (standard garbage) to Lyon County. Rock County can put only demolition material in its landfill.
Instead of using the Rock County landfill as a middle-man, Luverne Public Works Director Darrell Huiskes said the city could save $13,568 a year by bypassing the local stop.
If Rock County loses Luverne's landfill business, the transfer station would still remain open, but at a limited capacity, which concerned some council members.
Council member Keith Erickson said, "I'd like to see us work with the county on this."
Mayor Glen Gust said he was also in favor of finding a way to support the local landfill. "I think we need to think about the citizens of Luverne and about having a place to go with their stuff," he said.
City Administrator Matt Hylen said moving Luverne's compost and burning service to the landfill is an option to keep someone there with the city still paying for those wages. The current transfer station's hours aren't exactly consumer-friendly, he said, because it closes at 4 p.m. weekdays, where LuverneÕs service is open for a few hours weekday nights and Saturday mornings.
Huiskes said that having a local landfill is a valuable service that he'd like to keep for the citizens, but that saving money is the real issue. "I have a real hard time with the citizens of this city subsidizing the county."
Huiskes pointed out that LuverneÕs collection rates haven't changed, except to decrease, in five years. He would like to keep rates as low as possible.
The estimate that the city would save more than $13,000 includes calculations for per ton deposits, fuel, labor, maintenance and annual depreciation.
The major cost difference between the landfills is that Lyon County charges $45 per ton and Rock County charges $70 per ton. Also, the county pays out about $85,000 to haul municipal solid waste to Lyon County, which the city of Luverne might do on its own.
Councilman David Hauge said he doesnÕt understand why the city should have to figure out a way for the Rock County landfill to stay in business. He said the county's position when deciding on issues has always been to keep costs down and hasnÕt done the city of Luverne any favors.
Hauge said, "I don't think our job is to figure out their strategy. If it saves money, it's good for the taxpayers."
Councilman Jim Kirchhofer agreed. "I think they need to provide a competitive service."
Firefighter pension
For the second time, the council discussed but took no vote on the issue of increasing firefighter's pension to the requested $2,100 annual contribution.
Mayor Glen Gust and council member Tom Martius must abstain from voting because both serve on the volunteer fire department.
Council members seemed to agree that granting the full amount of the request would be too much for the budget this year, but that an increase from the current $1,700 was warranted.
Erickson suggested a dollar per hour raise from the current $6 on top of the pension increase. The firefighters get the hourly wage during weekly training exercises and when on duty at fires.
The council will vote on the fire pension and wage increases at a future council meeting.