Who should have power? County officials oppose change in waste district rules
By NOAH BLUNDO
The Times-Reporter
BOLIVAR - A proposal going before the policy committee of the Stark-Tuscarawas-Wayne Joint Solid Waste District today that eventually could lead to the creation of a solid waste authority has drawn opposition from Tuscarawas County commissioners, who serve on the district’s board of directors.
Under such an authority, decision-making power would move from the board of directors – made up of the three counties’ commissioners – to a board of trustees with 21 or more members consisting of county, city, township and health department representatives as well as citizens and representatives of waste generators in the area.
David Held, executive director of the waste district, said the move essentially would consolidate into one body the advisory capacity of the policy committee, which has a similar makeup to a board of trustees, with the decision-making power of the directors.
All three Tuscarawas County commissioners – Chris Abbuhl, Kerry Metzger and Jim Seldenright – are adamantly opposed to such a style of governance for the district.
“It’s the most important issues we’re dealing with right now,” said Seldenright, the commissioners’ representative on the policy committee.
The three are unhappy with the composition of the trustees board, the majority of whose members would be appointees rather than elected officials. The commissioners also are unwilling to part with the authority their board of directors seats afford them because it has allowed them to hamper past plans within the district that they felt weren’t in Tuscarawas County’s interests, such as the proposed Ridge Landfill near Dundee and an I-77 exit ramp for Countywide Recycling and Disposal Facility.
“The three boards of commissioners have a lot at stake in what they’re fighting for,” Abbuhl said. He and his fellow commissioners say that because the district covers all of Tuscarawas County, they as officials elected to represent the entire county are in a good position to advocate on residents’ behalf.
Wayne County Commissioner Ann Obrecht, who also is on the policy committee, said she’ll be “glad to listen” to the waste authority proposal, but she also has qualms about the ratio of elected officials to appointees on a board of trustees.
“I have inherent problems with non-elected boards overseeing public dollars and having certain powers,” Obrecht said, adding that her philosophy extends to any governmental body.
Obrecht acknowledged that the current board of directors structure has led to some inter-county tension but said she wasn’t sure a waste authority setup would solve that problem.
Yolanda Walker, executive director of the Summit/Akron Solid Waste Management Authority, said operating a waste authority does have advantages, such as an insulation from county government that allows the district to develop a waste disposal plan independent of outside political pressure. Also, the board of trustees gives decision-making power to municipal and township representatives, who Walker said sometimes have a better grasp of local concerns.
Mike Long, executive director of the Solid Waste Authority of Central Ohio, said the waste authority setup in his district, which covers Franklin County and parts of contiguous counties, helped to facilitate cooperation between Franklin County and the city of Columbus. He also said it creates a body solely focused on waste issues, whereas the county commissioners on a board of directors have many tasks to tackle.
Long also added that a waste authority’s internal workings set it apart. For instance, employees of the central Ohio district aren’t civil servants and the authority isn’t bound by state rules about bidding out contracts, while the county government-linked boards of directors are. Long said those could be advantages or disadvantages, depending on the concerns of the individual waste district.
The waste authority proposal still has a long way to go before becoming a reality. If the policy committee gives the plan a recommendation, the board of directors would have to pass it. Then, at least 60 percent of the municipal and township legislative authorities in each county would have to approve the deal, including the councils of each county’s largest city – effectively giving New Philadelphia, Wooster and Canton a veto in the approval process.
William Franks, Stark County’s health commissioner, said the proposal grew out of a desire to examine the details of a system used by other waste districts. As chairman of the policy committee, he preferred not to express any preference until after hearing the proposal today. He said the committee could make a recommendation today if members wished.
“I’m just going to wait and see,” Franks said.
The waste district policy committee meets at 9:30 in the district office at 9918 Wilkshire Blvd. NE, Bolivar.
The Times-Reporter
BOLIVAR - A proposal going before the policy committee of the Stark-Tuscarawas-Wayne Joint Solid Waste District today that eventually could lead to the creation of a solid waste authority has drawn opposition from Tuscarawas County commissioners, who serve on the district’s board of directors.
Under such an authority, decision-making power would move from the board of directors – made up of the three counties’ commissioners – to a board of trustees with 21 or more members consisting of county, city, township and health department representatives as well as citizens and representatives of waste generators in the area.
David Held, executive director of the waste district, said the move essentially would consolidate into one body the advisory capacity of the policy committee, which has a similar makeup to a board of trustees, with the decision-making power of the directors.
All three Tuscarawas County commissioners – Chris Abbuhl, Kerry Metzger and Jim Seldenright – are adamantly opposed to such a style of governance for the district.
“It’s the most important issues we’re dealing with right now,” said Seldenright, the commissioners’ representative on the policy committee.
The three are unhappy with the composition of the trustees board, the majority of whose members would be appointees rather than elected officials. The commissioners also are unwilling to part with the authority their board of directors seats afford them because it has allowed them to hamper past plans within the district that they felt weren’t in Tuscarawas County’s interests, such as the proposed Ridge Landfill near Dundee and an I-77 exit ramp for Countywide Recycling and Disposal Facility.
“The three boards of commissioners have a lot at stake in what they’re fighting for,” Abbuhl said. He and his fellow commissioners say that because the district covers all of Tuscarawas County, they as officials elected to represent the entire county are in a good position to advocate on residents’ behalf.
Wayne County Commissioner Ann Obrecht, who also is on the policy committee, said she’ll be “glad to listen” to the waste authority proposal, but she also has qualms about the ratio of elected officials to appointees on a board of trustees.
“I have inherent problems with non-elected boards overseeing public dollars and having certain powers,” Obrecht said, adding that her philosophy extends to any governmental body.
Obrecht acknowledged that the current board of directors structure has led to some inter-county tension but said she wasn’t sure a waste authority setup would solve that problem.
Yolanda Walker, executive director of the Summit/Akron Solid Waste Management Authority, said operating a waste authority does have advantages, such as an insulation from county government that allows the district to develop a waste disposal plan independent of outside political pressure. Also, the board of trustees gives decision-making power to municipal and township representatives, who Walker said sometimes have a better grasp of local concerns.
Mike Long, executive director of the Solid Waste Authority of Central Ohio, said the waste authority setup in his district, which covers Franklin County and parts of contiguous counties, helped to facilitate cooperation between Franklin County and the city of Columbus. He also said it creates a body solely focused on waste issues, whereas the county commissioners on a board of directors have many tasks to tackle.
Long also added that a waste authority’s internal workings set it apart. For instance, employees of the central Ohio district aren’t civil servants and the authority isn’t bound by state rules about bidding out contracts, while the county government-linked boards of directors are. Long said those could be advantages or disadvantages, depending on the concerns of the individual waste district.
The waste authority proposal still has a long way to go before becoming a reality. If the policy committee gives the plan a recommendation, the board of directors would have to pass it. Then, at least 60 percent of the municipal and township legislative authorities in each county would have to approve the deal, including the councils of each county’s largest city – effectively giving New Philadelphia, Wooster and Canton a veto in the approval process.
William Franks, Stark County’s health commissioner, said the proposal grew out of a desire to examine the details of a system used by other waste districts. As chairman of the policy committee, he preferred not to express any preference until after hearing the proposal today. He said the committee could make a recommendation today if members wished.
“I’m just going to wait and see,” Franks said.
The waste district policy committee meets at 9:30 in the district office at 9918 Wilkshire Blvd. NE, Bolivar.
