County council taking a wait-and-see approach to landfill/recycling center

Move over Barack Obama, John McCain, Joe Biden and Sarah Palin. Another highstakes campaign was launched here last week to persuade Cherokee County residents about the merits of Waste Management's proposed landfill and recycling center on a 1,550 acre parcel near McKown's Mountain.

Instead of millions of voters deciding the next residents of the White House, seven Cherokee County Council members will play a determining role in Waste Management's $150 million investment.

In order to move forward, Waste Management must obtain approval from Cherokee County Council members, whose present solid waste management plan bans new landfill construction without their approval.

Council members were briefed on the project in a visit by Waste Management representatives on Thursday.

The center would create about 300 jobs during the construction phase and employ about 40 full-time workers when it's operational. It also could possibly generate as much as $500,000 in property taxes and $2 million in tipping fees annually for the county.

But those numbers alone won't win council's support.

"I will take a wait-and-see approach," Cherokee County Councilman Bailey Humphries said. "It sounds good because it will bring employment to the county. They seem to be primarily focusing on recycling but it sounds like they will have a C&D (construction and demolition) landfill and Class D (solid waste) landfill."

Humphries said council could use the project as leverage with Allied Waste, which operates the county's transfer station. The county and Allied Waste recently completed negotiations on a new four-year contract. Under the contract, the county would pay a tipping fee if it exceeds an annual tonnage limit.

Councilman Rufus Foster was quick to see the benefits of the proposed landfill and recycling center.

"It would bring a lot of money and jobs," Foster said.

But Foster said he wants assurance that no hazardous waste would be buried at the site.

Councilman Charles Mathis probably holds more influence on the issue than other council members since the project will be located in his district.

He said he will abide by the wishes of his constituents. If the early feedback is any indication, Mathis won't be supporting the project.

He received five calls as of Saturday afternoon and each of them were opposed to the project.

"If they don't want it, then I don't want it," he said.

Mathis, who proposed and lobbied hard for the language in the solid waste plan that prohibits new landfills without council's blessing, said he was concerned that company officials said the facility would collect, process and recycle refuse from a proposed 75-mile radius around McKown's Mountain. Mathis said that would include taking in bigcity trash from Charlotte, Greenville and Spartanburg.

"I hate to see us bringing trash from a 75- mile radius into Cherokee County," he said.

Mathis said Waste Management needs a new disposal site since it's closing its operations in Spartanburg County.

But Councilman Quay Little said the project seems promising at first blush.

"I'm very open minded to this," Little said. "They will be providing more details at our next meeting."

Little said in addition to needing council's approval for construction, council also wields the power to grant potential tax incentives for the company.

On the subject of tax incentives, Cherokee County Development Board Director Jim Cook said Waste Management officials are expected to appear at the Development Board on Sept. 22. Council typically abides by the Development Board's recommendation whether or not to grant tax breaks to companies.

"We will have more questions for them," Cook said. "We want to make sure this is good for the county and good for business."

Council chairman Hoke Parris and councilman James Batchler declined comment until more information became available. Councilman Tim Spencer couldn't be

reached for comment.

Although state lawmakers have no say in approving or blocking the project, State Rep. Dennis Moss (DGaffney) has pushed for tighter control over C&D landfills.

Moss introduced a bill last session to temporarily ban construction of C&D landfills until the state Environmental Protection Agency develops stricter guidelines. He also had a hand in writing new landfill regulations for the state Department of Health and Environmental Control that will increase from 10 to 20 miles the distance between C&D landfills.

"We appropriated $3 million for the Attorney General to fight North Carolina which wanted to take water out of the Catawba River Basin," he said. "It seems like North Carolina wants to keep all the water and send us all the trash."

Moss said North Carolina has imposed a moratorium on new landfill construction.