The Yamhill County Board of Commissioners (BOC) will meet Thursday, April 16, to adopt findings in support of its decision to allow Riverbend Landfill to expand.
Despite misgivings about the landfill's impacts on neighborhood farming activities, the BOC voted 2-1 last week to approve an expansion that will keep the landfill open another dozen or so years. Without the approval, the dump would reach capacity and close sometime in 2017.
Commissioner Allen Springer, whose close ties to Waste Management caused many to question his impartiality, cast the lone vote against expansion. (Waste Management operates the dump through wholly-owned subsidiary Riverbend Landfill Co.) Springer offered no explanation or support for his vote.
The Stop the Dump Coalition and other County organizations are already discussing a possible appeal. Over the years, hundreds of County residents and businesses have called for the County to let the dump close. They cite Waste Management's importation of millions of tons of waste from outside the County as well as the dump's close proximity to the South Yamhill River and acres of fertile farmland as strong reasons to see the landfill close.
Though some have expressed concern over a possible rise in garbage rates if the local landfill closes, expansion opponents point out that (1) the County has never put garbage hauling out to bid and so there is no way to know what the real cost should be, and (2) garbage rates have gone up anyway even though the dump is still open. A survey of neighboring counties showed that even some without local garbage dumps offer lower rates to customers.
Ex parte contact rules prohibit people, for or against expansion, from contacting the Commissioners before the findings are adopted and the ordinance approving expansion is approved. To see the BOC in action once again, attend the meeting, Thursday, April 16, 2015, at 10:00 AM in room 32 of the County Courthouse (in the basement) on 5th Street between Evans and Ford in McMinnville.
No comments:
Post a Comment