Taylor: Town Prepared To Go To Court
WINNSBORO – During county council’s meeting Monday night, County Administrator Malik Whitaker doubled down on the county’s position that the Town of Winnsboro owes over $60,000 in unpaid solid waste fees.
In a letter to Winnsboro Town Manager Jason Taylor, dated Nov. 15, 2021, Whitaker wrote, “For the current fiscal year, the County has invoiced your organization approximately $35,612.01 for solid waste delivered to the County transfer station during the time period of July 1, 2021 to October 31, 2021. As of today, we have not received any payment for these waste services. We ask that you remit payment covering the balance of $35,612.01 within thirty (30) days of receipt of this letter.”
On Monday night, Whitaker said Winnsboro now owes $61,881.75.
“Fairfield County will be sending notice to the Town of Winnsboro that if they do not pay the fee by the end of March,” Whitaker told council members, “Fairfield County will not accept the Town’s solid waste at county facilities. So that is the county’s current position.”
“Fairfield County charges solid waste service fees for services provided to all commercial users of the county’s solid waste transfer station,” Whitaker said. “The fees are service fees owed based on the amount of services provided and they are not a tax.”
Winnsboro Town Council recently adopted a resolution sternly opposing the surcharge the county council had quietly inserted into the county budget.
According to the resolution, the fee is tantamount to double billing since the county already bills Winnsboro residents for solid waste disposal via property taxes. State grants further augment the county’s solid waste budget, according to the resolution.
For a small fee, the Town will transport the residents’ solid waste to the landfill. Fairfield County Council members did not comment further on the solid waste fees following Whitaker’s presentation.
