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Supes decide to buy desert area landfills |
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Monday, 21 December 2009 |
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By Mike Gervais
Register Staff
12-19-2009 Despite the fact that no one has identified money for the endeavor, the Inyo County Board of Supervisors agreed Tuesday to move forward with the purchases of the Tecopa and Shoshone landfills.
This move comes in response to a promise from the Bureau of Land Management to deny the county a lease renewal for the properties.
If the county does not purchase the landfill property, it will be forced to go through a pricey process to close the dumps. That process, with a price tag exceeding $1 million, would include continuous environmental studies for at least three years, designing and constructing a landfill cover (most likely soil) to keep the refuse from blowing away and construction of a perimeter around the property.
Earlier this month the board had all but decided to purchase the land at the BLM’s proposed low price of $10 an acre, but asked Deputy County Administrator Chuck Hamilton to return to the board with details regarding the BLM’s liability for the land in either the purchase or closure scenario. Fifth District Supervisor Richard Cervantes also asked to see some photos of the landfills.
Hamilton said that the county, as the lessee who converted the land into a refuse collection area, assumes all liability for the property regardless of weather it chooses to close or purchase the landfills.
After reviewing photos of both sites and the surrounding areas that Hamilton supplied, the board asked Hamilton why Auditor Controller Leslie Chapman had not reviewed either of the proposed action.
Supervisors Susan Cash (District 2), Beverly Brown (District 3) and Marty Fortney (District 4) each said they were concerned that there were no funding sources identified.
“I, as one board member, can’t do this blindly,” Brown said.
Hamilton said that the only money he has identified that could be used to purchase the landfills would come from funds the county has saved from monitoring costs for the eventual closure of the landfills.
Hamilton said the rest of the money for the purchase would probably come from the General Fund.
But, with an end-of-the-year deadline approaching and no more board meetings scheduled until Jan. 5, Supervisor Cervantes pointed out that “it’s a no-brainer decision. We don’t have a choice.”
Cervantes said that closing the landfills is too pricey for the county at this time, and retaining them as county property would give the boad more options down the road. He pointed out that, one day, the Charleston View subdivision in that area may need a landfill, in which case, one or both of the dumps in question may be utilized.
Fortney, though visibly apprehensive about moving forward with the purchase option without a solid revenue stream identified, said he would like to see the county purchase not only the landfills, but also some additional property surrounding the dumps while the BLM is offering land for such a low price.
Cash said that she was not opposed to purchasing extra property around the landfills, but wanted to see a clear use for the land identified before approving the purchase.
“I don’t think government should hold land for the sake of holding land,” Cash said.
Hamilton said the idea of purchasing extra land around the landfills has been pitched to the BLM, which has not said yes, but has not abandoned the idea either.
The board unanimously voted to move forward with the purchase plan, but asked Hamilton to return to the board with funding options and ideas for additional land that the county may be able to purchase.
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Last Updated ( Thursday, 14 January 2010 )
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