After taking its solid waste to Merced for nearly two years, the City of Turlock is returning its trash dumping services to Stanislaus County which is posing a relatively small fee hike for customers.

“The actual impact to the typical resident is about 30 cents a month,” said Director of Municipal Service Michael Cooke at the Turlock City Council meeting on Tuesday.

The Council approved a 10-year agreement with Stanislaus County that requires the City to bring 90 percent of its solid waste to county sites with 62 percent mandated to go to the waste to energy center and the remaining amount to the Fink Road landfill.

Although the Stanislaus County contract is slightly more expensive than Merced County, staff recommended the Council enter into the agreement with Stanislaus County because it allows for the continued existence of a valuable solid waste program in Turlock’s home county. This contributes to the long-term economic interests of the area said Cooke. Also, the Stanislaus County agreement provides services for necessary programs and reports that Merced County does not.

 “The deal that Stanislaus County has provided will also allow for some rate stability because it is a 10-year rate structure, so we will know what the City’s costs will be over time and how those will impact rate payers,” said Cooke.

Council Member Bill DeHart vocalized concerns about the contract’s requirement that the City produces a minimum tonnage, but Cooke said “my understanding is that we’ve never been in a position not to meet these tonnages and that we’re confident we’ll be able to meet them quite straightforwardly.

“The only issue going forward with this whole thing is that solid waste volumes are going down throughout the country, throughout the region, throughout the world because people are conserving more. So, that is the one challenge with every solid waste agreement… but we believe we’ll still be able to meet these tonnages,” Cooke said.

On Tuesday the Turlock City Council also:

·         Adopted the amended powers and duties for the Parks, Arts, and Recreation Commission which is now executing the Community Grants Funding. The Council also affirmed the funding as designated by the commission in various amounts for several events and nonprofits including the Fourth of July fireworks, Fourth of July parade, Turlock Community Theater, Stanislaus County Fairgrounds, Central Valley Brewfest, Monster Truck Spring Nationals, and Central Valley Vinofest.

·         Approved a lease agreement for the former Turlock Police station located at 247 E. Canal to the Turlock Irrigation District.

·         Approved an agreement with a Santa Cruz based firm, Wormhoudt, Inc, for design services not to exceed $28,000 for the relocation of the skate park to Donnelly Park.