Solid Waste Board Mulls What To Do With Its Money

Kosciusko County Solid Waste Board of Directors discussed what to do with cash finances at their meeting Tuesday.
Currently, the district has roughly $1.5 million invested and nearly $2 million in cash, with the 2026 budget being approximately $500,000. The board unanimously agreed that the $2 million in cash would be better served in an investment account rather than a checking account.
Kosciusko County Solid Waste Management District (KCSWMD) Executive Director Tom Ganser requested that, in addition to the money currently earmarked by the budget, they leave $100,000 in cash savings to “… get us through any hardship we might have.”
Board member Sue Ann Mitchell asked whether there were any projects that may need the money in the upcoming year. Ganser said that their only capital project for 2026 is repaving the depot's parking lot, but the costs for that project had already been included in the yearly budget.
After some debate over how much to invest, the board unanimously voted to approve $1.8 million to be transferred from checking into a one-year investment account.
Mitchell recommended possibly creating a second CD account and perhaps evaluating it every six months and “laddering out” their investments.
At the end of the board meeting, the topic of these funds came up again. Board member Cary Groninger questioned whether the funds would be better spent on community projects.
Groninger suggested doing a project alongside local government, such as reusing old asphalt to repave roads. Ganser brought up that some municipalities have used recycled tires as a component in asphalt for roads. Ganser said he would research the possibility by speaking with colleagues and reaching out to the Indiana Department of Environmental Management, the state body that oversees their operations, to see if it is a possibility.
The board also discussed where the funds come from, as less than $70,000 comes from taxpayers. The bulk of their funding comes from the landfill in the county.
Board President Bob Conley warned, “When [the landfill] closes down, it will be a harsh reality, so we have got to be cautious that we don’t cut off our nose to spite our face by spending money, just to be spending money. We’ve got to look down the road …”
He pointed out that the landfill will not be a part of the county forever. Ganser confirmed that as it currently stands, the landfill only has about 10 years. With the planned expansion, that time frame goes up to about 20 years.
In other business:
• The board elected Conley as board president and Jeff Grose as board vice president for 2026.
• The board voted to transfer $1,400 from the education fund to cover $1,000 in building repairs and $400 in meeting expenses.
• The board voted to allow the staff at KC Recycling to have Friday, Jan. 2 off of work in addition to Jan. 1 for New Year’s. The KC Recycling Facility will be closed on both Thursday, Jan. 1 and Friday, Jan. 2.
• Sixty-four people came to the shred event on Tuesday, Dec. 2. Ganser pointed out that the day was cold, wet and had a lot of snow. He said that staff had to scramble to plow and salt the parking lot for guests. Many of the people who came said that they saw it on Facebook. Ganser said that they will most likely not do another event in December moving forward.
• Their current scale is having issues. The tech who looked at it said that it is due to old age. Mitchell confirmed that it was purchased in 2000. Ganser asked the board for permission to buy a new scale. They gave him permission if he called for an additional quote, and the total did not exceed $6,600 combined for the scale and installation.