Tullytown Landfill Revenue Loss: ‘It Was Nice While It Lasted’

The upcoming closure of Waste Management’s Tullytown Landfill is expected to cut off a large source of revenue for the borough of just under 2,000 people.

For Tullytown, tipping fees from the landfill have brought in between $3 million to $5 million annually, making up most of the town’s revenues with taxes filling the gap, according to officials and budget documents.

The borough is known for funding its departments handsomely and rewarding residents with a $6,000 property rebate check annually. The checks go to property owners and started years ago as a “gift.”

The income has let Tullytown live above the means of a typical borough of its size.

The landfill’s closure has been expected for years and Council has at times discussed having to dig into the borough’s savings or bring in major new revenue to keep up the lifestyle. Another option that seems more likely is making cuts.

Borough officials did not respond to requests for comment for this article.

The landfill has provided jobs and revenue, but also the summertime smell and heavy truck traffic on area roads have burdened residents.

One couple living in Tullytown for longer than the landfill has existed, fought the landfill when it was first proposed.  When it became a reality, they made due.

“It was really nice to get that check because we live so close to the landfill,” explained the woman, who declined to give her name.

While this couple didn’t become reliant on the money, the duo fears that lots of people in Tullytown have become dependent.

Over the years, more rental properties have popped up in Tullytown, and the couple thinks that people running those properties will leave town once the checks stop coming.

“I thought it was a good idea while it was going on,” explained Daisy Bachman, another longtime resident of old Tullytown.

A common thread amongst Tullytown residents is that many property owners tended to stick to the intended purpose of the money – property maintenance.

“It was nice while it lasted, you know,” explained Dan Reed, a resident of Tullytown’s Lakeside neighborhood.

Reed has used the money for property maintenance and improvement, such as building a small deck outside near his carport.

“It had to end at some point, it’s a little disappointing,”  explained Chris Fisher, who has lived in the Lakeside section of Tullytown for nine years. “It was a bonus when we got in and it’s been a bonus ever since.”

Publisher and Editor Tom Sofield contributed to this story.