Continuously serving Kosciusko County since 1854
Kosciusko County Solid Waste Management District has been in negotiations with GFL Environmental regarding the fees for their landfill in Kosciusko County.
When the district's board asked for GFL to come in-person to a board meeting on Tuesday to discuss their negotiations and finances, GFL representatives said that they would not pursue higher fees if they did not have to come in.
There has been no change to GFL's fees for Kosciusko County for 45 years. The most recent contract between GFL and Kosciusko County Solid Waste was signed in 2007.
Board member Dave Wolkins told the board he believed GFL's response was just a negotiation tactic.
Board member Cary Groninger claimed if they did not pursue further negotiations with GFL Environmental and just accepted keeping things as is, then they were "... not doing our duty to the people of Kosciusko County."
Wolkins agreed, stating, “Eighteen years later, it’s not unreasonable to update the contract. We certainly know there are some issues with it. And amongst the things we need to pursue is a change of rate that is fair and equitable ... We represent a tax base, so this board does have some obligation to make sure it gets a fair deal with whoever it’s dealing with.”
Requesting a formal audit was debated by several board members.
Wolkins told the board their negotiation is still ongoing and they should continue to pursue what they have been discussing for the last year - a new contract with lower fees that are tied to an index to ensure that they align with current pricing trends in Indiana.
Wolkins said, "There hasn't been an audit since I've been involved, and it’s reasonable to request one, so that might be something in the future."
He continued to say for the time being, they could just request the raw numbers pertaining to their contract negotiations and go from there.
The board approved further discussions with GFL Environmental to be led by Wolkins and Tom Ganser, KCSWMD executive director, and requesting the data relevant to their negotiations.
In other business, the board heard:
• The e-mail addresses for Kosciusko County Recycling will be changing soon.
• The field portion of the state board audit completed Sept. 16, and is now to be reviewed by committee.
• A Shred Day will be held from 8-11 a.m. Oct. 7. On this day, Kosciusko residents can bring documents to be shredded on-site.
The board's next meeting is at 11 a.m. Oct. 21.
