The Washington County Board of Supervisors approved to amend its contract with WEMIGA Waste Management to account for rising fuel prices.

WEMIGA Owner Lynn Whaley shared during his quarterly report to the board in April that diesel prices had increased around $2 higher than when the last contract was made with the county, and as of this week have gone above $5 a gallon. After discussing a possible amendment with County Auditor Dan Widmer, Whaley proposed that his company would bill the county an added percentage to their current monthly rate, based on current fuel prices. County Engineer Jacob Thorius expressed that Whaley’s request is reasonable, “We have some different contracts where there is a price adjustment and it goes above a certain point. Then there’s a price adjustment, like for our salt, when it gets above a certain dollar amount then there’s so much extra per ton we pay. I think right now we’re paying an extra $3 or 3.50 a ton because of fuel prices.”

The county is contracted to pay WEMIGA $13,832 monthly through fiscal year 2024. The county approved Whaley’s proposed percentage schedule.

pump price per gallon charge to be added to the base monthly charge:

$2.50 to $3.50 – 3%

$3.51 to $4.50 – 4%

$4.51 to $5.50 – 5%

$5.51 to $6.50 – 6%

$6.51 to $7.50 – 7%