SANDPOINT — During its monthly update meeting, Solid Waste Department officials discussed operating hours at the Clark Fork solid waste site. The department’s newly implemented fee schedule was also mentioned.  

Solid Waste Director Bob Howard brought considerations of altering the site’s hours of operations after an employee of the Clark Fork Waste Site resigned from his position and then rescinded his resignation.  

As it stands, the site currently operates seven days a week from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. The proposed change would alter the schedule to five days a week for eight hours a day.  

Although the site will no longer be short an employee, as originally projected, Bonner County commissioners expressed support for evaluating the site to determine if an alternate, seasonal schedule would be reasonable.  

Commissioner Asia Williams noted that the research to back the change in hours would be from a “business perspective,” noting that positions wouldn’t be eliminated if a change occurred, but that employees could be used in a different capacity that would still benefit the department.  

“We just tried to evaluate and reduce costs internally as much as we can, so we're not passing it out forward to our customers,” Howard said regarding the transition.  

Howard noted that the Clark Fork site sees an estimated 150 vehicles a day, the fifth-busiest site in the county. If operation hours shifted, Howard predicted the site would see upward of 200 vehicles a day.  

The department also gave an update on its increased fee schedule, noting no significant complaints or issues with the changes. Operations manager Melissa Gault said the new fee schedules took effect in December, as opposed to Jan. 1, due to the transition away from selling extra solid waste stickers — a decision that was approved two months ago.