Board looks into second landfill
Member: Constituents don’t want another one
Comments (...)DIXON – The owner of the Lee County Landfill says its contract keeps other landfills from coming to the county for years to come.
But the County Board on Tuesday voted to look into legal issues, including the possibility of seeking a second landfill.
After next year, officials expect landfill fees to drop dramatically, which would have a severe impact on the county budget.
As it is, Phoenix-based Republic Services, the landfill’s owner, is taking in less waste at the local operation. The overall amount of garbage has dropped because of a decline in construction, which creates much waste.
Over the last few years, the county has been getting a guaranteed $1.8 million a year under its contract with Republic – equal to 966,000 tons of waste. But that contractual provision expires in December 2013.
Because of the drop in waste tonnage, county officials expect they’ll lose the guarantee and see landfill fees drop more than half – by $1 million a year.
The landfill revenue has been diverted to offset shortfalls in the general fund, which pays for the county’s day-to-day operations.
Now, many County Board members want a second landfill, to make up for the loss in revenue.
On Tuesday, State’s Attorney Henry Dixon introduced a resolution calling for him to investigate legal issues with the Republic contract.
In an opinion last year, Dixon contended the county couldn’t escape the provision barring another landfill without breaching the contract.
With the resolution, Dixon said he would consult with another lawyer who has done much work with contracts to see whether he was on the right track.
“You ought to know the rights, duties and obligations of the parties before you pursue this further. This is a first step,” Dixon said.
County Board member Allyn Buhrow, R-Ashton, said the county could do an investigation without a resolution.
Dixon said a resolution was needed.
“The problem is that I have enough to do. If you are serious about me looking into it, I want to know it. I don’t want to come back with a lot of time spent, with people saying, ‘You didn’t need to waste that time.’”
Member Lisa Zeimetz, R-Paw Paw, said no one on her side of the county wants another landfill.
“We’ll have two dumps. Then we’ll shop around for a third one,” Zeimetz said.
Buhrow said he didn’t oppose an investigation into the legal possibilities. He said he would support the resolution but that didn’t mean he backed another landfill.
Member Rick Ketchum, D-Amboy, chairman of the board’s Finance Committee, contended the county had a duty to explore the possibilities, given the expected drop in revenue.
“We don’t have new revenue streams,” he said. “If we don’t do something, we’ll have to make some hard decisions about where to cut.”
Member Ann Taylor, R-Amboy, urged her colleagues to take a breath.
“We’re giving a very good state’s attorney the authority to check to see if it’s legal all the way down the line. He’ll investigate those things for us,” Taylor said.
The board voted 22-4 for the resolution. Zeimetz; Marilyn Shippert, R-Dixon; Judy Truckenbrod, R-West Brooklyn; and Dick Binder, R-Compton, opposed it.
Those not attending the meeting were Kathy Hummel and David Gusse, both R-Dixon.
Republic Services maintains that its contract prohibits a second landfill as long as it still has capacity at the existing one. At current rates, the landfill is expected to close in 2047, according to a state report.
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