Dump Levy 101: What You Need to Know!

Lopez Solid Waste is a community-owned and operated endeavor, chosen year after year by Lopez voters when they vote on the annual Lopez Solid Waste levy.

Why does LSWDD need a levy?

To sustain current services — including Take It Or Leave It (TIOLI) and free recycling — the Lopez Dump relies on several dependable and recurring support streams, including garbage disposal fees, sale of recyclables, volunteer hours, and our annual levy. The levy usually generates one third or less of LSWDD's annual operating expenses.

The LSWDD Managing Board works hard to strike an effective balance between our different revenue streams in order to minimize, as much as possible, the impact to Lopez residents. Because of this, as well as our immensely impactful team of volunteers, disposal rates at the Lopez Dump have remained lower than others in San Juan County, and recycling has remained free.

How much do property owners pay?

The proposed levy rate is about $0.091 per $1,000 of taxable assessed property value — the same as last year's levy rate. So, if your property’s taxable assessed value is $500,000, you will contribute about $45.50 over the entire year to help sustain the Lopez Dump. 

Taxable Value	$500,000	$750,000	$1,000,000
Estimated Contribution	$45.50	$68.25	$91.00

A brief history of the dump levy:

In 2014, shortly after LSWDD was created, a levy of $105,000 supported approximately 40% of the dump's operating expenses. For years, revenue generated by the levy remained the same, even as LSWDD faced significant increases to operating costs. In 2023, the levy supported only 19% of our operating expenses.

In 2024, to restore the levy's percentage of contribution to district operations, the LSWDD Managing Board approved the current levy of $210,000 — and so did Lopez voters. The 2027 proposed levy amount will remain at $210,00, or about $0.091 per $1,000 of taxable assessed property value.

What does the levy pay for?

• Safe and responsible waste management. The rate that LSWDD is charged to dispose of our community's garbage has increased by 30% since 2023. Both ferry and fuel costs have also grown. Diesel fuel, which powers LSWDD vehicles and equipment, has increased 47% in the last year.

• Interlocal Agreement and San Juan County fees. LSWDD's latest Interlocal Agreement with San Juan County contains new financial responsibilities for Lopez Solid Waste, including leasing fees. These add to the overall cost of maintaining services for Lopez residents.

• Sustainable wages for LSWDD staff. We require a dedicated and knowledgeable staff to safely and efficiently operate the dump, and to sustain services like Take It Or Leave It and free recycling. Levy-generated revenue enables LSWDD to offer our team sustainable wages and benefits.

What happens if the levy fails?

The levy requires 60% voter approval to pass. If the levy doesn't pass, LSWDD will have to operate on about 67% of the funding that's needed to sustain current services. Difficult options to address such a large gap in revenue would include drastically reduced services, elimination of free recycling, and significant increases in garbage disposal fees.

If you have questions about the levy, please contact sarahr@lopezsolidwaste.org! Monthly LSWDD board meetings are also open to the public — learn more at lopezsolidwaste.org/public-meetings.