I am going to clarify some confusion. Commissioners, the landfill, the Highway Dept. and myself have received call from citizen’s asking why we would pave convenience sites and not roads. The simplest answer is Solid Waste is paying for the convenience site paving. Solid Waste/Landfill generates their own money from fee’s charged to other governments and private business to dump trash in the Smith County Landfill. There are no Smith County Tax dollars going into the Solid Waste Fund. We have the money in that fund and would like to create a better experience for you when dumping your trash for free at the convenience sites. I will explain more in depth below if you would like to take the time to read. If not please know this is separate money that cannot be spent on roads or other government functions outside of trash disposal at convenience sites or operation of the landfill.
The Landfill and solid waste department are set up in what is called an enterprise fund. Enterprise Funds are used to account for operations that are financed and operated in a manner like private business enterprises–where the intent of the governing body is that the costs (expenses, including depreciation) of providing goods or services to the public on a continuing basis be financed or recovered primarily through user charges. The convenience sites are fully funded by the tipping fees collected at the Smith County Landfill. NO tax dollars go into solid waste.Smith County residents can use the convenience sites as much as needed at no cost to them. Other counties limit trips or charge a fee to dispose of trash. We do not.
The downside to this is that no moneys collected for tipping fees may be used in the operation of the general government. The landfill funds cannot be used to pave county roads. The solid waste fund pays for the operation of the landfill and convenience sites. It pays for the building of new cells and the closing of old cells. It pays for the equipment to run the landfill and convenience sites.
When I took office in 2018 there had been talk of paving or tarring and chipping convenience sites for years. We looked very hard at how to get that project done. With a new cell being built and our debt service for equipment we did not have the funds to get this done. We finished the new cell this past spring. There had already been borrowed 2.8 million dollars to build a cell in the fund when I came into office. Once all was said and done the cost to build was over 5 million dollars to complete. We were able to finish the cell with cash from the fund and did not borrow another penny. The high cost was due to some engineering problems that we inherited and the building of this cell to support future cells design and lower their cost to build and operate. We also were able to pay off half the debt we were in when we came into office. The ending balance for 20-21 was just shy of 2 million dollars in the bank.
We were able to increase revenues by raising tipping fees and renegotiating contracts with other local county governments and raising our tipping fees at the gate for other haulers. We have also been able to save money by partnering with private business for them to provide services such as brush disposal, tire disposal and the pulling of boxes at convenience sites on the weekends for reduced contracted tipping fees.
I say all of that to say this. We put money aside and bid out the paving of our convenience sites in this year’s budget. Tiff Arnold Paving was the low bidder and has begun paving convenience sites across the county. This I hope will make your experience better when disposing of your trash. Muddy shoes and dirty cars I hope will soon be not caused by just taking your trash off.
There is probably not one person in this county that truly wants to be in the landfill business. I know I don’t. We are in the business and have been since 1989 I believe. So, if we can generate revenue to pay for operation, cell building, convenience sites and make it a better experience and at no cost to residents then that is what we will do. I have been approached about selling the landfill by private waste companies. I do not want to do that. We lose control when that happens. If Smith County is going to have a landfill, then Smith County needs to run that landfill.
Believe me if there was a way, I would shift money to the road department to fix our county roads.
I hope this helps explain to those who may not know why we would pave convenience sites and not county roads. Please call me at 615-735-2294 or email me at jmason@smithcountytn.govwith any other questions.
Thank you for allowing me to serve as mayor of the greatest county in the world!
