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WORLAND — Worland city councilors are scrambling to find ways to cover increased dump fees after the Worland Solid Waste District Board began assessing tipping fees Tuesday.

Worland City Clerk/Treasurer Tracy Glanz said the hike would cost the city about $120,000 per month. The city has $1.1 million in its sanitation fund, which the city would run out of in a year and a half.

The city would likely need to increase sanitation rates in order to pay for the extra expenses. Residents pay $15 monthly with commercial entities paying $18.

Worland residents’ Dumpsters™ are dumped twice per week.

The new tipping fees will cost the city $594,000 per year. Worland garbage trucks hold 20 cubic yards of trash. The Worland Solid Waste District began charging residents $15 per cubic yard of general waste at the Worland landfill this week.

Councilmember Mandy Horath said Worland should explore every possible option before increasing fees.

“I just want to make sure that we cover all of our research and all of our bases before we (increase our fees). I want to answer to our citizens that we are trying every option,” Horath said.

Despite not taking action at Tuesday night’s meeting, the council agreed that action must be taken.

“In the meantime, we can’t go through $100,000 of reserves,” Worland Mayor Dave Duffy said.

With only $1 million in reserves, the council also agreed that a solution must be found.

“You’ve only got $1 million,” Glanz told the council.

“And there goes our street projects,” Councilmember Jim Gill replied.

“I would hate to see you wait six months to make a decision on sanitation. Realize that it’s going to take a month and a half to get an ordinance. You need to decide how much reserves you want to spend. You have $1.1 million. Right now, it’s a given, you’re going to spend $108,000,” Glanz said.

Council member Lisa Fernandez suggested passing an emergency ordinance, an ordinance that doesn’t require the standard three readings to go into effect. Duffy said that, under state statute, covering tipping fees is not considered an emergency.

“An emergency ordinance is usually blood,” Duffy said.

Fernandez interjected.

“Well. We’re talking blood because the city’s bleeding,” Fernandez said.

“We’ve talked about an emergency ordinance. Statute says health and peace,” Duffy said.

“There ain’t going to be any peace,” Councilperson Dennis Koch said.

Councilors are also concerned that people who do not live in Worland will begin dumping trash in city Dumpsters in order to avoid paying the landfill’s tipping fees.

It is against the law for non-residents to dump trash in Worland trash bins.

“We always have enforced (the ordinance.) Whenever we’ve gotten a call or a report of it we’ve investigated it. We’ve charged it if we could prove it. But yeah, we’re going to run into this a lot more and that’s going to eat more of our time,” Worland Police Chief Gabe Elliott said.

Councilmember Keith Gentzler said he’s seen people illegally dumping in Worland Dumpsters.

“I’ve seen people from the county dumping and (the dumpsters) were full,” Gentzler said.

Koch said he’s also seen people illegally dumping.

“I’ve seen that at Sanders Park. The (Dumpster) that’s right there at the community center,” Koch said.