Garbage issue beginning to get messy
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Resolution No. 2, presented by Health and Welfare Chairman Wayne Pryor, was intended to address issues brought up at an earlier meeting by McMinnville city officials concerning the wholesale dumping of waste by other municipalities in the county, as well as private haulers, who were not paying tipping fees.
The new resolution, replacing one passed April 24, 2000, has two sections.
Section 1 allows people living outside the county, but who own and pay taxes on property in the county, to use the convenience centers if they can produce a current Warren County tax receipt.
Commissioners apparently have no problem with this provision.
It was the wording of section 2 that generates the controversy. It says:
“All private haulers, businesses, industries, municipalities, commercial and construction companies shall be prohibited from using the Warren County Convenience Centers.”
Commissioner Gary Prater asked Pryor for the definition of commercial garbage.
“It’s either household garbage or it’s commercial,” Pryor answered. “If you’re in business, well, the convenience centers were not set up for businesses. And we got to the point at our convenience centers we had to do something or get sued.”
Prater also asked: “Does this also include civic groups and non-profit organizations? That’s not household garbage either. When we speak of commercial are we including small businesses like a little store out there in the country, some kind of a daycare center, some CPA’s office that has a bag of garbage two or three times a week. A restaurant for instance, or any of those, does that fall under commercial?” Prater went on to ask.
“If it’s not household garbage it would,” Pryor answered.
“Churches fall under that too?” Prater asked.
“If it’s not household garbage it would,” Pryor repeated.
Commissioner George Smartt joined the fray asking Pryor about legal issues.
“Are you certain that we can legally exclude commercial businesses that are taxpayers with this ordinance?” Smartt asked. “And what’s the logic of prohibiting commercial haulers, private haulers, that are picking up household garbage and thus cutting down the number of vehicles that would be coming to the convenience centers? Why would you want to do that?”
“Well, like I said, we’re to the point that something’s got to be done,” Pryor answered. “The convenience centers are overworked and overcrowded. So in order to regulate this thing and be fair about it, this is what we came up with. If you’ve got a better solution, why then, go for it.”
Commissioner Bill Zechman suggested a solution to the impasse.
“This is a problem that has stalked us here for a long, long time,” Zechman said. “I think this resolution is a good start, but I think we might consider it a work in progress. I think that for all the very good reasons that have been stated here this evening on this resolution, this bill needs some more work.”
Zechman made a motion to defer the resolution until the next commission meeting to allow time to reword the document to address some of the issues brought up by the other commissioners.
The motion to defer was put to a voice vote and passed, thus leaving the controversy over the use of the county’s convenience centers basically unresolved for another month.