The Cullman County Commission is revisiting its role as sole provider of waste collection across the county as local contractors spite the higher prices for roll-off rental dumpsters at construction sites.

Associate Commissioner Garry Marchman brought the issue up during the commission’s most recent work session, saying several contractors have complained to him about the change which prohibits any other companies from doing business inside Cullman County.

“I don’t have an answer for them,” Marchman said Tuesday. “Our rental rate is competitive, but it’s the tipping fees at the landfill that’s the difference. If we’re going to require that they only do business with us — when someone else is cheaper — then I think we’ve got to figure out a way to be more competitive.”

The county filed suit in December against three competitors providing residential garbage pickup and dumpster rentals: Republic Services, Inc., Arab Rental and Sales and Hyche, LLC.

County Attorney Chad Floyd said two of the companies were placing roll-off containers/dumpsters at construction job sites throughout the county while the third was running a residential sanitation collection route on the east side near the Marshall County line.

Court records show the lawsuit was dismissed in mid February against Republic Services and Arab Rental and Sales. It wasn’t clear if it’s still pending against Hyche, located in Addison, however that company was discussed during the commission’s work session.

“They own their own landfill so they don’t have to pay the same tipping fees,” said Cullman County Sanitation Director James Rollo.

In 2000, the county passed a resolution that designated the commission as the sole provider of solid waste collection services within Cullman County, based on a state law that allows commissions to pass such a resolution.

Marchman urged the commission and sanitation department to consider ways to lower costs for contractors.

“They’re out there working every day to make every dollar they can,” Marchman said.

“I would say to them, ‘shouldn’t they all be following the law?’” Floyd said. “We finally have a solid waste officer who is enforcing the law.”

In 2014, ownership of the Cullman County landfill was transferred to Cullman Environmental, Inc., which has been managing it. Almost 200 tons are dumped at the landfill daily — 70,000 to 80,000 tons annually — from the county, City of Cullman and local manufacturing facilities and poultry houses.

To prepare for taking over all solid waste collection — including areas that had been serviced by private companies — the county invested $1.2 million in its sanitation department to have enough trucks and dumpsters, Rollo said.

The sanitation department projects more than $84,000 in revenue from the roll-off operation in fiscal 2018. The sanitation department is fully funded by user fees, with a $5 million budget.