COUNTYWIDE : Higher Dump Fees to Be Discussed

The Ventura Regional Sanitation District today will discuss whether to increase dumping fees by nearly 15% at the Bailard Landfill near Oxnard and almost 25% at the Toland Road Landfill in Simi Valley.

The commercial rate for dumping at the Bailard Landfill would increase from $39.50 per ton to $44.50, according to a district report. The fees for the Toland Road dump would increase from $33 to $40.50 per ton, the report said.

The district, a public agency that provides sewage and solid waste disposal services for eight cities, will also consider increasing the charge for dumping at the Ojai Antilitter Station from $15 to $17 per visit.

If approved, the new fees would take effect July 1. The fees were last increased on July 1, 1990.

Although the Bailard Landfill collects about 1,500 tons of trash a day and the Toland Road Landfill collects about 135 tons a day, district officials said the amount is declining because of growing recycling efforts.

The increased fees are needed to pay for growing operating expenses and to raise part of the $13.3 million it will cost to close the Bailard Landfill, the district report says.

An operating permit for the dump expires in late 1993, but district officials have applied to the county for a two-year extension.

The hearing will begin at 8:30 a.m. in the district board room, 1001 Partridge Drive, Suite 150, Ventura.