San Juan County issued the following announcement on June 15.
In an effort to streamline operations and save the taxpayer money while providing convenient service to residents, the San Juan County Commission voted Tuesday to modify the operation schedule for some Solid Waste Transfer Stations.
The move will reduce staffing in the department by two full time positions, save taxpayers more than $90,000 each year, and all 12 county-run Solid Waste Transfer Stations will be open at least one day every weekend, excluding certain holidays. The reduction of staff is achieved through attrition. There are no employees laid off.
San Juan County operates 12 Solid Waste Transfer Stations around the county. The Solid Waste Department is funded by a 1/8 of 1 percent sales tax in the unincorporated part of San Juan County. Collections of that tax are down more than 50% since 2008. Falling tax revenues forced the implementation of fees to cover the service in 2011, however the Solid Waste Department is still subsidized more than $365,000 each year from the general fund.
Starting July 6, 2020, six transfer stations will modify their operational schedule.
Cedar Hill: Friday & Saturday, 8:00 am to 6:00 pm
Blanco: Sunday & Monday, 8:00 am to 6:00 pm
La Plata: Saturday & Sunday, 8:00 am to 6:00 pm
Hilltop: Sunday, 8:00 am to 6:00 pm
Huerfano: Saturday, 8:00 am to 6:00 pm
Waterflow: Thursday through Saturday, 8:00 am to 6:00 pm
The remaining six stations will continue with the current schedule. Those schedules can be found at SJCounty.net/solidwaste
The operational changes are based on the actual number of users at given stations on specific days. Staff found that the stations in question had a lower volume of users on certain days and intend to make the service more convenient and provide more value for taxpayers through these changes.
Despite the efficiencies, staff estimates that the Solid Waste Department will still receive about $280,000 in annual subsidies from the general fund, and further seeks cost-saving measures.
San Juan County is proud to operate one of the most robust networks of transfer stations in the state and maintain the lowest cost service in the region.
Original source can be found here.
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