The Carroll County Solid Waste District board of directors voted unanimously on Thursday, June 5, to reject a rate increase from CARDS Waste Management and Recycling and to cancel the district’s contract with CARDS.

The solid waste district had contracted with CARDS since 2020 to transport solid waste from Carroll County to a landfill in Tontitown.

The CARDS rate increase, outlined in a May 15 letter from CARDS vice president of business development Jason Fitzgerald to CCSWD director George Boatright, would raise the fee for municipal solid waste from $61.16 per ton to $80 per ton — an increase of 30.8 percent — effective May 17.

Fitzgerald’s letter said the increase was necessary because of increased operational costs including disposal, fuel, labor and equipment maintenance.

Boatright said the increase would cost the solid waste district an additional $274,000 by the end of 2025.

“The rate increase that CARDS is asking for would devastate my budget,” Boatright said.

Boatright said he had “looked into several things, talked to several people,” after receiving the letter.

“I suggest we do not accept that and let them out of the contract,” he said. “I know I can get haulers in here. I’ve already talked to these haulers. I’ve talked to landfills.”

Boatright said he was confident that he could negotiate a rate that would increase the waste district’s costs by $72,000, a much smaller increase than that proposed by CARDS.

“I would suggest that looking out for the district and for the citizens of the district, I would just suggest that we let them out of the contract,” Boatright said. “And we put a proposal out for bids. And I’ve also got things set up. While we’re doing that, not working under a contract, but I’ve got a landfill set up where we can go and haulers to take that there for us.”

Berryville Mayor Tim McKinney, who chairs the CCSWD board, suggested that the board declare an emergency and authorize Boatright to take the necessary steps to ensure that there is no interruption of service while the waste district solicits bids for a permanent contract. McKinney asked for permission from the board to work with Boatright and former CCSWD director Phil Jackson to develop a proposal that would be put out for bids.

“Phil and I have discussed some things we might be able to put in there,” McKinney said. “… We feel like there’s some things that we could do with our sales tax exemption on diesel and our load limits.”

“I’m not sure that we have an option,” Eureka Springs Mayor Butch Berry said. “I think that’s the choice we have, is go ahead and declare this contract void and put it out for bid.”

The board voted to decline the rate increase and void the contract, then approved a separate motion to authorize Boatright to enter into a temporary contract to transport the district’s solid waste.

After the votes, McKinney and Boatright said CARDS’ service had been unsatisfactory and the board also heard about billing discrepancies, with chief financial officer April Shaw saying CARDS actually owed the district approximately $4,000.

“Keep that figure handy, because we’ll be sending them a final check,” McKinney said.

“How likely are we to get that money back?” asked Carroll County Judge David Writer.

“I couldn’t get postage from them,” Shaw answered.