By Sam Kaufman
November 12, 2014 – Andrews County News
A five percent surcharge on gross receipts from Waste Control Specialists’ low-level nuclear disposal operation is adding up for the county.
The WCS payments began around 15 years ago and are rapidly approaching the $20 million figure.
County officials said many projects have been obtained over the years through the WCS funds.
WCS’ most recent quarterly payment was the lowest of the year, but pushed the county past the $1.5-million mark to round out the fiscal year.
The fourth quarter check from the end of September amounted to $250,081, according to a WCS spokesperson.
That figure pushed the county to approximately $1.55 million in WCS payments for the recently completed fiscal year.
On average, the WCS payments averaged nearly $400,000 per quarter during the fiscal year. It was another solid year of WCS payments to the county.
The previous quarterly checks included $337,194 for the quarter ending June, $586,309 for the quarter ending March and $424,214 for the first quarter.
The best year of WCS revenue was $2.7 million in 2015, followed by $2 million in 2013. The $1.95 million for the 2022 fiscal year was a close third, but included approximately $500,000 in overpayments.
Since the surcharge came into play more than 10 years ago, WCS has paid nearly $19 million to the county, according to WCS officials.
The county also received a one-time payment from Vermont for inclusion in the Texas-Vermont Compact, of which Andrews County is the hot site.
In total, the low-level disposal facility has contributed over $21 million to the county coffers.
Additionally, the state receives a much larger percentage of gross receipts from the lowlevel disposal operation.
WCS’ low-level disposal facility consists of the Texas-Vermont Compact Landfill and the larger federal landfill that takes mostly waste from U.S. Department of Energy projects.
The compact landfill can accept waste from Texas and Vermont, along with 33 other states outside the compact. But non-compact customers must go through the Texas Low-Level Compact Commission for approval. WCS representatives have said the compact landfill generates more business than the federal landfill. It was initially expected to be the other way around—with the larger federal landfill anticipated to be busier. But since the facility was constructed, more federallyowned disposal options have become available and other private competition exists for the DOE waste.
The funding generated from the surcharge on the low-level facility has been a tremendous asset to Andrews County. Numerous community projects relating to “public good” have been made possible through WCS money, according to county officials.
The majority of the WCS funds received by the county— 90 percent—go into the Legacy Fund—otherwise known as Fund 47—for projects related to “public good,” while the other 10 percent is dedicated to the county’s Fund 39, according to county officials.
The Community Legacy Committee, which began functioning in 2017, accepts project applications for possible WCS funding, before vetting the requests and potentially recommending them for commissioners court approval.
Projects involving local governing entities and non-profit organizations can be accepted for WCS money, according to county officials.
The Legacy Fund has a cash balance of $4.9 million as of last quarter, according to county officials, but about $700,000 of that amount has already been earmarked for a project to provide concrete work on Lakeside Park bridges, and to purchase portable generators, light towers and portable restrooms.
The unencumbered amount in the Legacy Fund last quarter was around $4.2 million, county officials added.
Fund 39, meanwhile, contained approximately $371,537, but most of that money was dedicated to a project to improve golf course conditions, according to county officials.