On Tuesday, Nov. 4, the Benton County Board of Commissioners voted 2 to 1 to approve expanding the Coffin Butte Landfill.
Commissioners Pat Malone and Nancy Wyse voted to approve. Commissioner Gabe Shepherd voted to deny. Wyse cast her vote after a tearful explanation that she personally opposes the landfill expansion, but legally, she believed she had no choice, that the applicant had met the burden required for approval.
Wyse, clearly emotional, also explained that she still views the landfill’s owner, Republic Services, as a “bad neighbor.”
They added new conditions for approval
During the hearing, the Commissioners asked staff to add a number of conditions that Republic will need to meet.
Malone in his deliberations explained he believed the County can make sure the landfill operator complies.
As a condition of approval, he has asked staff to include a 1.3-million-ton annual solid waste max, and that Republic pays the ongoing costs for one full-time equivalent County staffer to monitor the dump’s operations going forward.
The Commissioners also asked staff to include beefier conditions mitigating litter that has been blowing over into adjacent properties, as well to add language that would require Republic to monitor for the outbreak of fire 24 hours a day rather than just during business hours.
What’s next
Staff will reduce to writing the Commissioners’ deliberations and added conditions of approval for a final order. A hearing to adopt that order is set for 9 am, Monday, November 17.
After that, within 21 days, anyone objecting could file with Oregon’s Land Use Appeals Board, or LUBA. Once the appeal is heard, there could be a remand back to the County for further deliberations. If the LUBA appeals become exhausted, legal recourse through the courts would be another possibility, but all of that would be expensive; possibly, prohibitively so.
The initiative process could be used to center on the operation of the landfill, potentially toughening laws and restrictions governing it. Voters could also require the County to increase the monitoring of the dump and increase the penalties for violations at the facility. This may add some costs for taxpayers.
Politically
The County’s three commissioners serve four-year terms. These are partisan offices, which means both a primary and general election for these positions. Democrats have had a lock on the Benton County Board of Commissioners for decades.
Wyse is in the first year of a second four-year term. We do not know if she intends to run again in 2028. Malone is the middle of his second term and has already announced he’s seeking reelection next year. In any event, today’s vote makes primary challenges more likely for each.
Public opinion has been predominantly against the dump’s expansion. Some are already talking about a possible recall of Wyse and Malone, given today’s vote. It’s too early to tell if that will materialize. If it does, we’ll let you know.
Here’s the Video of today’s hearing
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