News
Hundreds Pay Respects to King

Three Trails in 30 Years

Around the Area

Briefs

Range of Projects Displayed at Expo

Estancia Teen Gets Worldwide Education

CNM To Offer Courses in Edgewood

DWI Memorial Needs Help To Stay Open

Bidding Process To Start on Arts Center

Mother of 5 Arrested in Fatal Stabbing

More
News

HOME	CLASSIFIEDS	OBITUARIES	SPORTS	OPINION

Thursday, March 27, 2008

Landfill Rates May Go Up

By Laura Nesbitt
Mountain View Telegraph
    Taking garbage to the Torrance County landfill may soon cost more money.
    Estancia Valley Solid Waste Authority did not receive $800,000 from the Legislature and Bernalillo County may pull out of an agreement with the landfill, Manager Joseph Ellis told councilors on Tuesday night at the Moriarty City Council meeting.
    On March 12, EVSWA board members tabled a motion to increase the tipping rate by 15 percent. The members plan to discuss that motion again tonight.
    The county and five of its municipalities formed the EVSWA in 1995. It operates the landfill as well as waste transfer stations.
    The landfill is used by residents of the East Mountains, Edgewood and all of Torrance County. "There is a golden triangle that goes from Carnuel to Clines Corners to Corona" of residents who use the landfill, Ellis said.
    Bernalillo County pledged a lump sum of $633,000 when it signed up in 1998. Since then the total amount the county has contributed is $1,058,000, Ellis said in a phone interview.
    "Bernalillo County may not fund the capital outlay with their environmental services gross receipts tax in the future. And it is apparent that we cannot count on legislative capital outlay money from the state," Ellis said.
    "I expect we will go into negotiations with Bernalillo County between now and the end of (June)," perhaps resulting in a revision of the joint powers agreement, Ellis said.
    At the board meeting members discussed raising the member rate to $28.55 a ton. The "overall" or commercial rate would be raised to $45 a ton, Ellis said.
    Currently those rates are $24 a ton and $34.58 a ton, respectively, he said.
    In other council business:
   

Mary Frederick, deputy director of member services for the Public Employees Retirement Association, presented several retirement package options to councilors and several members of the Moriarty Police Department who were attending the meeting.
    Councilor Steve Anaya believed some of the benefits of the plan were slanted toward the employee— which seemed like a good thing to him.
    "It's a recruitment tool and a good way to keep your officers," Frederick said.
   

Scott McCall, chairman of the city's lodgers tax committee, received council authorization to spend up to $70,000 annually for production and promotion of the city.
    McCall's "best estimate" of the annual rent on 19 billboards for the next three years is a total of $68,670.
    "After looking at the figures, I don't believe we're going to get them any cheaper than that," Councilor Ted Hart said.