Senate Democrats propose a bigger garbage tipping fee than what Governor Jim Doyle wanted. Doyle's proposed fee increase, from $3 to $6 per ton, survived the Joint Finance Committee. But today, Senate Democrats will propose an increase to $10 as part of their version of the state budget. State Senator Kathleen Vinehout, an Eau Claire area Democrat, among those advocating the higher fee. "My constituents are concerned that land values in Eau Claire and the surrounding area are lower than the land values in the metropolitan Twin Cities area, so the expansion of landfills is much less expensive," said Vinehout. Senate Democrats propose giving most of the $49 million raised by the increase to local units of government to pay for recycling programs. It's unclear whether or not Governor Doyle supports the higher increase, which will also likely face opposition in the Republican controlled state Assembly.
