Commercial trash customers could see an increase in fees in Elmore County

Groomed County roads and trails are being trashed by vehicles equipped with track "shoe" systems according to Deputy Prosecutor of Elmore County, Ralph Blount, at the regular meeting of the Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) Friday, January 10, 2020. An open discussion was held to address the issue.

Blount passed out a copy of Valley County's regulations as an example of what other counties are currently doing to regulate groomed roads and trails. He recommended changing current code to allow the trails to be opened up to more users, while at the same time keeping current use restricted to recreational-type vehicles under 2,000 pounds. Currently code limits use to vehicles under 1,000 pounds. The recommended changes would increase that to 2,000 pounds as well as require vehicles to pay fees and display appropriate stickers or decals.

Code currently says that the damage that's being done is a misdemeanor charge. It is likely that if the code is changed, there will be warnings doled out instead of tickets while the transition is being made.

Committee Recommends SPF Water Engineering to move forward with county's water projects. Last week the BOCC received three proposals in response to the county's request for water resource engineering. Those proposals were evaluated and summarized by a committee, including legal counsel, the Land Use and Development Department and the County Commissioners. The recommendation was accepted and passed by the board.

The commercial trash conversation continues as rubbish collectors and the County Commissioners attempt to get on the same page. For the last three years, Elmore County hasn't been charging collectors for processing commercial trash.

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