Agenda - Council - 01/12/1982 - Laserfiche WebLink

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! I I I I I I I I I I I Qo AN EQUITABLE SOLUTION? Why should landfills be located in rural areas when most of the trash is produced by city people? Solid waste is produced by everyone--rural and city people. It's true that urban areas now produce more waste than rural areas. However, waste abatement programs are expected to reduce more waste from urban than rural areas. The net result will be a more balanced pattern of landfill waste generation. In addition, illegal and unregulated dumping can pose risks to residents of rural areas as it does for city people. Another point: State law requires that new landfill sites must be 80 to 250 acres is size, with a buffer area at least as big as the site itself. There are more land parcels of this size in rural than in urban areas. It's unfortunately true that soil types most conducive to good farming are also the kind most suited for landfills. What are tire rights of people whose land is being taken for a landfill? The state's Constitution provides that no private property can be taken without due process of law or just compensation. To acquire land, counties'must pay at least the fair market value. If the land is not acquired through eminent domain, the land owner's compensation is determined by agreement of the parties involved. RIGHTS OF LOCAL COMMUNITIES Can a county put a landfill anywhere in a city or township without considering local concerns? No. There is an elaborate system of checks and balances built into the process. The system is intended to ensure sufficient landfill capacity to meet disposal needs, without "steamrolling" local communities. Early in 1982, the Council's Metropolitan Waste Management Advisory Committee will be expanded to include representatives of communities where sites are being considered. This will occur before the advisory committee reviews county abatement proposals submitted to the Council. Such proposals affect local communities because they reduce the number of landfills needed. The expanded advisory committee will also shape recommendations to the State Legislature on ways to provide incentives and compensation to communities where landfills are proposed. I I I I I Q. Are there other safeguards? A. Yes. Before each county makes the final selection of sites from those approved by the Council, it must add representatives to its county board from local communities to form a "site selection authority." In addition, a city or township may impose conditions on the operation of a ~andfill if the conditions are approved by the Council. Before a PCA permit is issued to a landfill, the county must have a certificate of need issued by the Council. Such a certificate can be;i~s~Jed only if the Council finds there are no reasonable alternatives to the disposal facility,.including recycling and waste recovery. A county may override local land use ordinances and regulations. However, it may do so only if the Council finds the local restrictions are not reasonable. 4