Cascade County Commissioners have set a public hearing for 10 a.m. Sept. 15 to establish residential and commercial solid waste rates.
The county is “proposing to implement a formal commercial rate system within the solid waste district, assign fees for the commercial rate codes and update the residential fees to maintain operations to meet the capital needs of the district,” according to the meeting notice. “Additionally, staff have engaged in an extensive review of the properties within the district in an effort to ensure all properties are classed appropriately within the code system. The current audit was done primarily to clean-up and identify commercial properties, as such, all codes have been audited with the exception of single-family residences. These codes and the remainder of those properties will be audited for accuracy at a future time.”
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Commissioners act as the board of the Cascade County Rural Solid Waste District and will consider the proposed rate changes during the Sept. 15 hearing.
Commissioners last increased solid waste rates in 2024 and county officials have been discussing the broader program structure for the last year.
The district was established in 1971, according to the county, with a board of directors that include the health board.
State laws governing solid waste districts have since been updated and the county commission assumed the duties of the district governing body in 2007. The county operates the district under the 2007 version of Montana Code Annotated and intends to also make any future fee increases under that version of the law, that has since been repealed.
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The district manages the storage, collection and disposal of refuse countywide, excluding the incorporated cities and towns of Belt, Cascade, Great Falls and Neihart, unless those municipal passes a resolution to be included. None of those municipalities have adopted such a resolution.
Under state law, the district board can set fees to defray the cost of maintenance and operation of the district and any increase requires public notice and an opportunity for protest.
Owners of property that would be assessed for the county’s solid waste program may protest the proposed rate increase anytime within 21 days of the initial notice, which was Aug. 24, in writing and delivered to the county clerk.
Commissioners will consider those protests at the Sept. 15 public hearing.
The county is proposing a new fee code for solid waste charges, excluding residential and mobile homes.
The new fee structure will use the current punch card system and the following is proposed:
- base fees for the commercial rate system would be at a rate of $5 per punch, for a total of $130 per punch card
- fees would be effective on the the tax bills for calendar year 2026
- commercial codes range in cost from $260 to $6,240 and are tiered based on the number of punch cards. Commercial customer rates may increase 25.08 percent to 798.42 percent with an overall average increase of 84.28 percent
The following property classifications won’t be changed under the proposal:
- small clubs
- low income
- post office/church
- six-month house
- single family residence
- three single family residences
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Under the proposal, these residential rates may see an increase:
- seasonal cabins
- properties with multiple seasonal cabins
- single family residences with seasonal cabins
Properties with residential and commercial activities on the same parcel would be classed based on a combination of those activities, according to the county, with the residential component at the residential rate and the commercial component added to that.
