Fort Smith sanitation revenue up in first half of 2010

A 2010 payment for a 2009 project helped boost overall revenue by almost 6% for the Fort Smith Department of Sanitation during the first half of 2010.

Total revenue for the first six months of 2010 was $6.165 million, up 5.92% compared to the $5.821 million for the same period in 2009.

The 2009 revenue for the Fort Smith Department of Sanitation was down 10.8% — or more than $1.535 million — compared to 2008, but the 2008 comparison was difficult for several reasons.

Most of the 2009 revenue decline came from landfill operations, with that sector down $1.06 million as a result of the combination of debris from 2008 wind and hail storms and the recession, said Joseph Hopper, division manager for the DOS.

The decline in manufacturing seen in 2009 was reflected in 2009 collections. Industrial collections dipped 11.9% in 2009.

Total landfill tonnage for the first six months of 2010 is 124,386 tons, down 2.9% compared to the 2009 period. Following is a categorical comparison of Jan.-June revenue for the department.
• Residential collections: $1.471 million, down 4.4%
• Commercial collections: $1.045 million, down 2.7%
• Landfill operations: $2.54 million, up 20.4%
• Industrial collections: $990,603, down 3.8%
• Landfill gas: $64,179, up 43.8%
• Recycled products: $52,810, up 139.1%

Hopper said the department received in fiscal 2010 a $509,873 for a project completed in 2009.

It’s expected that residential collections revenue will increase compared to 2009. The Fort Smith board of directors voted in November 2009 to end a sanitation contract with Altes Sanitation and pull all the city’s residential collection under the Fort Smith Department of Sanitation. At the time, Altes was the only third-party trash service handling residential waste in Fort Smith.

The estimated 4,900 new residential accounts should generate about $380,000 in revenue in 2010 and almost $817,000 in 2011.

Fort Smith has one of the largest landfills in Arkansas and Oklahoma. The landfill, which benefited from receiving former Fort Chaffee property, has a lifespan of more than 65 years and encompasses 1,102 acres.