Agenda - Council - 01/22/1985 - Laserfiche WebLink

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I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I i I i - 3 - The money so collected is dedicated "for purposes of mitigating and compensating for the local risks, co~ts and other adverse effects of facilities" (MSA 115A.921). The 15¢ per cubic yard collected by Ramsey is minimal compared to the potential and existing effects of the landfill in our community. For example, if a ground water aquifer becomes polluted, many persons and homes could be affected, perhaps requiring new, deeper on site wells or a municipal water system or even relocation of the residents involved. Ramsey'~ 15¢ per cubic yard tipping charge would simply be unable to defray this expense. While the person or entity responsible for the contamination, by state law, must ultimately bear this expense, it could take years and thousands of dollars to determine in court who is ultimately responsible. In addition, the State's Superfund may not be large enough to defray these types of expense. Therefore, it is essential that the Plan under consideration provide a means by which immediate action and aid can be given to a resident or resfdents whose lives and property are adversely affected by a landfill. A plan should be devised whereby persons in need do not have to hire an attorney, appear at Council meetings, County Board meetings and/or PCA meetings, etc. in order to be given relief. We see this type of program as essential in order that persons living near landfills can be given the assurance that an effective, immediate and simple process is available which will address their needs. Besides meeting immediate environmental and health needs, we feel the Plan should provide for the long term economic effects that a host community faces. There is general concern amongst many Ramsey residents who live near the landfill relative to the market value of their homes. At the recent public hearing on the landfill expansion, two professional appraisers agreed that the market value of homes located near the landfill is affected by the landfill's presence. The magnitude and duration of this effect is not known. The Plan should provide for study on this subject by creation of a model using typical homes in communities without landfills for comparison. By this means, home market values can be tracked and the landfili'~ effect on market value can then be more precisely determined. With this information in hand, a ~ystem should be devised whereby the entire region compensates Ramsey for any lost tax base due to decreased residential market values, as well as a system to ~irect~ compensate the homeowner for his depresssed market value. We feel that such a system should be put in place for the long term future, as it is likely that even when the landftll is closed, its presence will still depress market values.