EPHRATA - Grant County is instituting a fee for people bringing trash to landfills and drop boxes without it being secured.

The Grant County commissioners passed the amended ordinance after holding a second public hearing about the proposal.

The change adds a $5 fee for passenger vehicles with one to three yards of capacity and $15 for trucks and other vehicles with more than three yards of capacity. The fee applies to any load of garbage not "covered with a tarp, inside an enclosed vehicle or otherwise secured or tied down by safety chains or other fastening devices in a manner that will prevent materials from spilling, escaping, falling or being blown or deposited outside of the vehicle while the vehicle is in motion," according to the ordinance.

Public Works Director Derek Pohle said officials discovered about two years ago, after talking with their counterparts in Yakima County, that a 1994 state law required an unsecured load ordinance.

"The first year after we found out we kind of researched it and developed our position and over this last year, we've been working toward a proposal to amend the ordinance for unsecured loads," he said.

The ordinance ties other laws together, Pohle said, pointing to littering ordinances and laws against unsecured loads in transit.

"Then this is the last little piece where you come to a public or private facility that accepts municipal waste and you have an unsecured load," he said. "This is a fee, it's not a fine, and, quite frankly, we don't expect any considerable revenue out of this and that's not the reason."

Pohle said the department wants people to comply. After eight months of speaking to people about making sure their garbage is secured, the county sees about 90 to 95 percent of people comply.

The revenue the county receives from the fee is going to be used for picking up litter on the side of roads, Pohle said. 

Commissioner Richard Stevens commended Pohle and the department for trying to inform people about the change, so there wouldn't be a problem when the fee is implemented.

"We don't want this to be a surprise for anybody," Pohle said. "Almost everybody is coming in with their load secured. We've got the odd few that are like, 'Well, I'm not doing it until I have to,' but most people are using tarps and webs ... We will give the benefit of the doubt as we're going through this process. We expect it to be a relatively smooth transition."

Stevens and Commissioner Cindy Carter approved the ordinance. Commissioner Carolann Swartz was not present.