Landfill contract extended 10 ye

Loudon County Solid Waste Disposal Commission extended the contract with Republic Services for management of the Matlock Bend Landfill.

After more than an hour of sometimes heated discussion, Commissioners Larry Jameson, Tammi Bivens, Steve Field, Kelly Littleton-Brewster, Terry Small and Art Stewart voted for the contract amendment. Commissioner Pat Hunter was the lone dissenter.

The amendment modifies and extends by 10 years a 20-year contract signed with Santek Waste Services in 2007. Republic, which purchased Santek in 2021, agreed to modify some portions of the contract in exchange for adding years.

The approval July 12 follows an effort June 27 by members of Loudon County Commission to remove five county-appointed members of the SWDC. The attempt failed despite a 5-4 vote in favor of removal.

Several members of county commission had during previous discussions asked the SWDC to not approve the extension because of concerns about how revenue from the landfill was split between Republic and stakeholders.

County commission Chairman Henry Cullen, Chase Randolph, District 1 seat A commissioner-elect and William Geames, District 1 seat B commissioner-elect attended the SWDC meeting.

During the public comment period, Randolph thanked the SWDC for their work on the amendment but asked they table a vote on the extension until new members of county commission had taken office. He said he was concerned about a potential lawsuit.

Pandora Vreeland, a Tellico Village resident who has attended SWDC meetings and spoken against the contract amendment, questioned SWDC Attorney Kevin Stevens about a $500 campaign donation made by Republic to Littleton-Brewster, a county commissioner and chairwoman of the SWDC.

Vreeland said she wanted to know if Stevens had informed Republic it was in violation of the collusion clause in the current contract.

Stevens said there was no collusion because Littleton-Brewster did not request or receive the check, adding the check was never sent.

Vreeland also asked when the increase in the host fee paid to the county would begin. Stevens said that increase was effective immediately.

Richard Anklin, also a resident of Tellico Village, said he was concerned about extending the 2007 contract because it might violate a law enacted in 1995 preventing municipalities from entering into contracts longer than 25 years. Stevens said he was aware of the law.

Gary Bush told the SWDC he had recently moved to the area from Franklin. He said his background was in supply chain management with a focus on negotiating contracts related to waste management and scrap management.

Bush said uncertainty about inflation and other economic impacts makes predicting the future difficult. He urged the SWDC not enter into a long-term contract with Republic. He suggested negotiating a short-term extension before putting the contract out to bid.

Bivens made the motion and Stewart provided the second to vote on the amendment. Several members of the SWDC explained their position before the vote.

Jameson said he wanted to thank everyone on the commission who worked hard for eight years to renegotiate the contract. He said those who criticize the amendment by saying it does not go far enough to improve the county’s position may not be aware only certain parts of the contract were open for negotiation.

Jameson also said he wanted to get a legal opinion about the attempt several weeks ago by county commission to remove members of the SWDC.

Hunter, who cast the only vote against the amendment, read a letter from Matthew Tinker, a county commissioner who had voted against removal of the five SWDC members. Tinker said while he did not believe the five members should have been removed, he was concerned about the contract amendment and urged the SWDC to delay the vote.

Bivens said she believes county commission appoints boards and committees such as the SWDC to take the heat off themselves during election years.

Littleton-Brewster said she had been working on the amendment for all of her eight years on the SWDC. She said the group successfully resolved every request made by stakeholders.

She said some key problems addressed by the amendment include:

• Liability for post-closure, which will now be the responsibility of Republic.

• Limiting the height of the landfill.

• Changing the radius from which waste may be collected to a range of 75 miles.

• Guaranteeing the lowest tipping fees for stakeholders in Loudon and Lenoir City.

Steve Field, the longest-serving member of the SWDC and the only one who served during the 2007 contract, said while the new contract isn’t perfect it is an improvement.

“The shortages of the current contract are very well addressed,” he said.

Stevens said the amendment had not been rushed and negotiations to curb the height of the landfill had been successful. Republic’s management of the landfill since acquiring Santek has been “exemplary,” he said.

Hunter said she wanted a financial consultant to analyze the contract and the projected revenue to determine if there will be enough money left to close the facility in accordance with Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation rules. She also said Republic was not living up to terms of the contract, citing late payment of bills and the dumping of “sludge” in the landfill without permission.

Art Stewart, who represents Lenoir City, said concerns of his constituents included tipping fees and the disposal of green waste. Both issues are being addressed, he said.

Following the vote, Stevens said he was eager to move on to future issues, including long-term decisions about tapping into methane at the landfill and the possibility of producing solar energy on the site.