Van Buren Approves Fee For Commercial Solid Waste Haulers

Commercial haulers of solid waste will be charged 3 cents per pound at Van Buren County convenience centers.

This was approved by county commissioners during Tuesday night’s commission meeting. Commissioner Henry Seamons responded to Commissioner Bill Mosley’s question about whether this meant they could remove a $7 charge on resident’s utility bill.

“Me personally, I don’t know how you could do away with the $7 fee and be able to fund solid waste without property tax dollars,” Seamons said. “That was the reasoning behind the fee was so we could free up property tax pennies.”

Seamons said that the fee would allow property tax pennies to fund things like the county’s ambulance service and debt service. Seamons said the cost of doing business in all sectors is going up and it’s the responsibility of the county to make tough decisions.