WASHINGTON CO. COMMISSIONERS APPROVE PRICE INCREASE TO HOLD SPRING CLEANUP EVENT

  

A significant uptick in participation in the annual Spring Open Collection Days at the BVR Collection/Transfer Station in Brenham is leading to a large increase in the amount paid to put on the event.

Washington County Commissioners voted today (Tuesday) to approve a change to the county’s agreement with Brannon Industrial Group (BIG) to provide labor and site facilities for the spring cleanup event.  The agreement change includes bringing the 2024 annual rate up to $9,000, compared to 2023’s rate of $4,125. 

County Engineer Wesley Stolz said with a growing population and more utilization, the amount of waste brought in during the event has more than doubled – by hundreds of thousands of pounds – over the past few years.

Stolz said the county and BIG did enter into negotiations regarding possibly amending the pricing structure, but the county would end up taking the risk if there were sizable increases in the future.  The new rate is based off of what the county saw in 2023 and is budgeted for.  He said the county will monitor usage for this rate and keep an eye on it for when next year’s budget rolls around. 

Commissioner Kirk Hanath said given this kind of surge in usage, he understands the higher cost.  He also said he would rather people take advantage of this event than leave their waste out in the ditch for the county to deal with.

This year’s Spring Open Collection Days will take place from March 7-9 for Brenham residents and March 14-16 for residents in the county.  Disposal fees for the first 500 pounds of debris per household will be waived. 

Also at today’s meeting, commissioners:

• Received quarterly reports from Brenham | Washington County Economic Development and the Information Technology Department.
• Tabled action on accepting a request for qualification (RFQ) for a wildlife manager for Washington County’s school land in Tom Green County.  Hanath said more time was needed to receive necessary materials from the committee overseeing the matter.
• Appointed Bryan Ruemke as the county trustee to the local board of the Texas Emergency Services Retirement System (TESRS).  The court also approved the participation contract between the county and TESRS on behalf of Washington County volunteer fire departments.
• Approved renewal of the state agency memorandum of understanding between the county and the Health and Human Services Commission for use of facility space at the Health and Service Center at 100 South Chappell Hill Street in Brenham.