City councilman says Madision County is cheaper option
My goal as a city council member is to have an efficient, economical, and convenient method of disposing of all of the trash of our community. That was the original goal of the 28E agreement. It now appears that a few want the city to pay for a transfer station it doesn't need. The county and cities of Clarke County entered into a 28E agreement to provide for the disposal of waste generated in the county. They agreed to help provide for the running of this facility with a per capita fund. This is part of the funds that support the landfill. However, the majority of the funds come from fees generated when trash or garbage crosses the scale at the landfill site.
The city of Osceola has about 4,800 residents. The cities of Murray, Woodburn and the rest of the county have about 4,200 residents. The majority of the material that passes across the scale comes from the residents and businesses of Osceola. This means that the citizens of Osceola pay the majority of the costs for the landfill – the per capita amount plus the tipage fees.
The commission has five voting members with only one representing Osceola. The others are from the county, Murray, Woodburn, and one at large.
Last year when the landfill commission was planning to add another cell, the DNR (which regulates landfills) imposed standards that were considered too expensive by the commission. The commission decided after consulting with their engineering firm that a transfer station would be the best solution. They approved plans for a building to be erected on the current landfill site. The material to be collected there from all the citizens would then be hauled to the Metro Waste Authority’s landfill site in Polk County.
The city began to learn about this plan and asked the commission to wait until other options had been explored. The chairman and the county attorney agreed in a public meeting (the city council) to not build a transfer station. They agreed under duress as the council informed them if they did not, the council would withdraw that very night. About this same time the DNR allowed the commission to finish a landfill site at a cheaper cost, but the DNR also informed the commission that the landfill would be closed Dec. 31, 2011.
Osceola has mandated garbage pickup and has an agreement with Waste Management to provide the containers and the equipment to pick up the trash in the city. Before the transfer station had been planned, the city had entered into an agreement with WM that should the landfill be closed, WM would haul the garbage direct to the Madison County landfill for the same price with the only stipulation that there would be an increase in charges if the cost of diesel went up.
The city discovered that the engineering firm for Metro East also consults for the county landfill commission. The city also found that a building had already been contracted for when the city council was promised that no building would be built until other options had been explored.
Other landfills in the area hadn't submitted any proposals because of the requirements suggested by the engineering firm. The manner in which the proposals were sent to accept Clarke County’s solid waste almost guaranteed the only proposal submitted would be from Metro East.
The transfer station and the equipment to operate it would cost about $1 million. The tippage fee would be about $60. There was no estimate of how much it would cost to haul to the Metro East site 60 miles from the transfer station site compared to 31 miles to the Madison County site. Madison County landfill has agreed to accept trash from the rest of the county for the same cost. They don't, however, want to be in the middle of any controversy.
The Osceola City Council voted to withdraw from the 28E agreement. The landfill commission voted to send the question of withdrawal to arbitration. The city has not directed WM to haul to Madison County until after the arbitration process is completed.
It appears that the landfill commission is determined to build a transfer station and to have the material sent to the Polk County site. The city of Osceola would shoulder the majority of the costs. The city feels the representation is inappropriate on the commission. Attempts to increase its representation were met with mockery.
Clarke County’s landfill will close. The trash will be hauled away to another county. Why must it be to Polk County? There are other engineering firms besides Barker-Lamar. We don't need a $1 million transfer station.
James D Kimball, 1015 Lakeshore Drive, Osceola, Iowa 50213
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