The City of Atlantic’s Community Development Committee will meet Tue., July 25th at 5:30-p.m. in the Council’s Chambers at City Hall. Their two topics of discussion include Tourism Promotion, and Mandatory Garbage Service. The latter is the result of action taken by the Cass County Environmental Control Agency/Landfill Board this past Tuesday.

During their meeting, the Board voted to implement a per capita assessment for 28E members for the fiscal year 2018-2019. The fee amounts to $12.00 per household per year or $1.00 per occupant per month. Based on a county population of 14,000, the money generated from the assessment amounts to roughly $168,000 per year, which will allow the Cass County Landfill to remain open, because it is no longer sustainable based solely on user fees.

The landfill is still dealing with a leak on the backside of the facility that occurred two-years ago, and will now require the extraction and pumping of leachate before it leaves the property. That process is expected to cost an initial $500,000 to clean-up, plus $50,000 per year afterward to maintain. And, the landfill will have to construct another cell, at a cost of $400,000.

An engineer’s study determined the best way to keep up with the costs associated with running the landfill and meeting DNR requirements, is to go ahead with a per capita assessment, which will not go into effect until the 2018-19 fiscal year. The move allows city and county governments time to enact a means of collecting the fee.