The Bastrop County Transfer Station — the county’s waste collection center for bulky items — may be turned over to private ownership if the Bastrop County Commissioners Court finds it could save money.

On Monday, County Engineer Carolyn Dill told commissioners she had been approached by someone interested in taking over the facility, which is in need of several costly upgrades.

The proposal was to make those improvements and continue to provide public access to the facility in exchange for a longterm lease. Upgrades to the facility would include a paved entrance and exit ramp and an enclosed building that would contain discarded and dropped-off materials.

"I’m just here to kind of find out if this is something that the court would be interested in pursuing a little bit further," Dill told commissioners.

After the discussion, County Judge Paul Pape said he was "cool to the idea."

The Bastrop County Transfer Station, which is a citizens collection center, has been owned by the county for about three decades. It’s the county’s only publicly-owned site where people can pay at least $35 to get rid of junk and unwanted materials.

So far this year, the facility — which employs one attendant at $32,000 a year — has collected $162,508 in fees, $33,088 less than the cost of operation, Dill said.

But there are other unquantifiable ways the facility provides a benefit, county officials said. County precinct road crews, who routinely clean illegal dump sites or trash along roadways, are able to bring materials to the facility for free. And the easy public access it provides helps residents dispose of materials responsibly, which helps curb illegal dumping.

"The unquantifiable portion of this is what’s not getting dumped on the side of the road, and the convenience to the precincts," said Precinct 2 Commissioner Clara Beckett.

In order for the county to turn the facility over to a private owner, officials would be required to go through a procurement process by issuing a request for proposals to open bidding to the public. Any proposal the county would consider must also include provisions for the facility’s single employee, who Dill said is eligible for retirement.

Located at 601 Cool Water Dr. near Camp Swift, the facility sits in the middle of Precinct 1 Commissioner Mel Hamner’s maintenance yard. The outdoor facility, Hamner said, means that the wind can easily sweep trash and debris throughout the six-acre area.

"It literally turns my yard into a litter pit," Hamner said.

The opportunity for a private owner to build an enclosure is alluring, Hamner said, because loose debris would easily be contained.

Monday’s meeting was the first discussion county officials have had on the matter. The transference of the facility is something that could eventually be figured into next year’s annual budget, which gives the county approximately a year to consider a deal.

"This is going to take some research and this is going to take some studying and this is going to take some time," Dill said.