Judge/Executive Logan Chick announced at Tuesday’s Fiscal Court meeting that Waste Management had withdrawn its request to increase tonnage at the landfill.

Chick told the News-Democrat & Leader that he had been visited by Terri Douglas, community relations manager for Waste Management on Nov. 12.

“She told me they wanted to withdraw their request and that was pretty much it,” said Chick, who believes there was just too much uncertainty about the request.

Waste Management’s landfill director Charlie Gillian had come to the Oct. 27th meeting of the fiscal court requesting an amendment to the host agreement with the county to allow for additional waste to be brought into the landfill over a five year period. According to the current agreement, Waste Management can only bring in 1,150 tons of waste per year into the landfill.

Gillian told the court negotiations between their company and the landfill property owners had failed and the lease would be running out in June 2015. Gillian said his company now only had five years to fill up the landfill to its capacity of 3.3 million tons and couldn’t do so unless the county amended the agreement to allow for more tonnage to be brought in.

Waste Management offered the county $1.6 million to allow their request. The $1.6 million would be in excess of what the county already generates from the landfill, which is based on a percentage of the landfill’s net profits each year.

“I just don’t think the timing was right,” said Chick. “Besides, Waste Management has only been taking in 550 tons of waste per day and that is not even the allotted amount. I don’t see how they could increase it as much as they had wished.”

There have been numerous complaints about the landfill over the years involving odor, waste on Coopertown Road where the landfill is located and heavy truck traffic in the county. After Waste Management made the request, Magistrates said they wanted to hear from the citizens of Logan County and what it was they wanted.

The landfill is located in Magistrate Dickie Carter’s district and he said he is “glad” the request has been withdrawn. “Nobody wants more trash brought into this county. I don’t want any more going out there than is going out there now. Everybody that has called me has said the same thing,” said Carter.

Second District Magistrate Harold Prince feels this issue should have been handled between the attorneys and not between Waste Management and fiscal court.

“There are already too many trucks coming through Adairville now,” said Prince.

“I don’t think we would have voted for the request anyway. I certainly wouldn’t have voted for it,” said Third District Magistrate Curtis Watkins. “We have been warned about the odor near the landfill for years. I believe bringing in more trash in such a short amount of time would increase the smell as well as truck traffic. I think it could possibly become a safety hazard.”

Magistrate Loyd Houchens told the waste company he would not have voted for the request when they came to speak with each magistrate about the proposal.

“I flat out told them I wasn't going to vote for the amendment. I think their withdraw was the right thing to do,” said Houchens.

"Obviously we have the landfill and it wasn’t our decision to bring it in, but it does provide a place for the citizens to take their trash on free dump day as opposed to putting it in a sinkhole,” said Magistrate Jo Orange.

Magistrate Thomas Bouldin thinks Waste Management listened to what the community was saying by withdrawing the request.

“I appreciate Waste Management for that and I appreciate the people of Logan County for responding and standing up on the topic,” said Bouldin

Waste Management was contacted but did not offer a statement by press time.