Commissioners Revise SWAC Ordinance

The Yamhill County Board of Commissioners (BOC) held a workshop Tuesday, October 22, to consider revisions to the ordinance that governs the Solid Waste Advisory Committee (SWAC).  Most of the proposed revisions address SWAC membership.

SWAC is a combination of two state-mandated committees for counties hosting regional landfills.  One of the committees monitors the landfill, while the other is a citizens committee focused on solid waste in general.  Currently SWAC has seven members, two of which represent the two solid waste companies that serve the County, Waste Management and Recology.

The proposed revisions would expand citizen membership by two, with one of the additional slots reserved for a student.  Other members called out in the proposed revision include business and recycling representatives, in addition to the two County franchisees.  Citizen members are to be selected with "due regard" to geographic representation.

The proposed ordinance amendments would also require SWAC to make its minutes and agenda available at least 72 hours before meetings, which would now be monthly instead of quarterly.

The proposed amendments were not made available to the public, but interested persons in attendance were invited to address the Commissioners.  Both Susan Watkins and Maggie Cross urged the BOC to make industry representatives non-voting.  Commissioners, however, noted that the ordinance already prohibits the two members from voting on matters that "directly" affect their companies' bottom lines.

Though Watkins and Cross both pointed out that everything SWAC does affects waste haulers and the landfill in some way, the BOC expressed the hope that the addition of two community members would dilute industry's dominance on the committee.

The BOC also relied on the fact that SWAC is an advisory committee, with no power to take action on its own.  However, as Watkins pointed out, industry members have dominated the process for nominating new SWAC members, thus retaining a strangle hold on the committee.

County Counsel was asked to revise the proposed amendments and return them to the BOC for action at a meeting in early December.  The BOC will vote on the measure as an emergency ordinance, ie, one that will take effect immediately, allowing new members to be appointed to SWAC in early January.

In the meantime, five candidates' names have been on hold since last spring.  No one from the County has contacted them, though Solid Waste Manager Ashley Watkins said she would soon.