Story by Rodger Nichols for Gorge Country Media
At yesterday’s Klickitat County Commission morning workshop, Public Works Director Jeff Hunter told commissioners businesses that qualified as small quantity generators of hazardous waste will no longer have disposal costs covered by a grant from the state Department of Ecology.
“They said, ‘We’re not paying for the businesses any more.’ They’re still paying for the household stuff, but if we don’t take the businesses out, they pay for nothing. We had three choices. One, not provide any place for them, which I don’t feel is a very good option. Option two is the county picks up the cost, which I don’t think is fair either to the rest of the taxpayers, or, three, we charge them what ATC charges.”
And Senior Services Director Sharon Carter told commissioners someone had siphoned about a quarter tank of gas from one of the buses parked at the Pioneer Center in White Salmon.
“Why have usually tried to get locking gas caps on, but with the newer buses, they’ve not been available right away. The other drawback potentially with locking gas caps is sometimes people will bypass and cut the fuel line, and they you’ve got a lot more expensive repair than if they’re siphoning gas.”