By Tim Ravndal
In Broadwater County the control of the solid waste department has gone through an extensive review and overhaul. The County Commissioners hired a public works director that spent over a year working to get control of an unaccountable department within the county. Her duties fell short and was effectively removed from that position. Legal requirements not adhered to were exposed so a change in the guard of the dump was made.
The history of the solid waste department in Broadwater County has gone through multiple reviews over several administrations. Each time the effort to make the department more efficient ended up costing more than the revenue could efficiently cover. The recycling program that was supplemented by a non-profit group also failed to make ends meet.
The county commissioners approved a plan to close off the remote canister sites to curtail non resident use of the facility. Each of the 5 sites were equipped with fencing and hours of use curtailed to only a couple days a week. Guards were hired to watch over the trash to ensure that only residents were using the facilities. The solid waste tax promoted as an enterprise fund was increased to help cover the new costs.
The sites, when closed, were equipped with a walk in entry only for residents when the gates were locked. This was done to avoid arbitrary dumping outside the gate when locked. Restrictions on what was eligible to be disposed of were increased further reducing the open opportunity to dispose of trash through the county solid waste department.
Many citizens were not pleased with the changes and made multiple attempts to request that the county commissioners reconsider the operation of the department. Each time the task was referred to the solid waste advisory board.
A new public works director was hired to oversee the operation of the county departments last year inheriting a department that was heavily in debt. Josh Obert began to take a closer look at the department to look at turning the management around to benefit the county and the citizens. That process has been moving forward but the changes in access continues to be a challenge that Mr. Obert inherited.
Employees that were hired to guard the garbage at the 5 sites regularly face disgruntled citizens. Recently at the Cedar Street public disposal site, a confrontation was had over the traditional “Free” designation. Valuable, workable and usable items traditionally left for anyone that could use those used discarded items were free for the taking. This practice which has been in place for as long as anyone can recall recently came to a head.
The first come first serve basis on the “Free” pile placed the garbage guard at odds with the public. A confrontation arose over who got to have something from the free pile and heated up to a point where the garbage guard was forced to defend his duty of trash control.
There has been legal action that has been lodged against the garbage guard and is now pending. At the December 7th County Commission meeting a request from a citizen was on the agenda to discuss the solid waste problems. The public works director was brought in to answer questions on the department but before the agenda item was allowed to proceed Commissioner Folkvord advised the public that no discussions on the episode at the Cedar Street site would be allowed.