Solid waste districts could come to an end under bill now on Pence's desk

The Indiana Legislature passed Senate Bill 366, whichwas authored by Sen. Liz Brown, R-Fort Wayne, and it is headed to Gov. Mike Pence’s desk. Sen. Vaneta Becker, R- Evansville, and Rep. Holly Sullivan, R-Evansville, voted against the bill. Rep.Ron Bacon, R-Evansville, and Sen. Mark Messmer, R-Jasper, voted for it.

Under the bill, a single county solid waste management district, such as Warrick County’s district or Vanderburgh County’s, may be dissolved if the county commissioners and the county council adopt ordinances that are in favor of dissolution.

Becker’s spokeswoman said that Becker voted against it because her constituents wanted her to. Becker represents Warrick and Vanderburgh counties.

But Brown said the measure gives local control to officials.

“Giving local officials decision-making power over their solid waste management districts is important,” Brown said in a news release. “This bill removes the state mandate and allows county officials who understand the specific needs of their community to determine how to best structure their recycling needs.”

Local officials already play a role in the solid waste management districts. The board that governs solid waste management districts is made up of all elected officials.

The Warrick County Solid Waste Management District’s board of directors is the three county commissioners — Don Williams, Marlin Weisheit and Rick Reid; a county councilman— Greg Richmond; the mayor and a city council member from Boonville — Charlie Wyatt and David Talley, respectively; and a representative of one of the towns in the county — Tennyson Councilwoman Kristi Adams.

“All the bill does is give the counties with solid waste management districts the ability to dissolve them if they aren’t doing the job that they should be and to keep them if they do,” Rep. Bacon said. “It boils down to letting the locals do what they want to do.”

He said while the board is made up of elected officials, they weren’t elected “to do that job” of managing the solid waste management district boards. If a district is dissolved, then all the responsibilities — including legal obligations — fall onto the county.

Warrick County Solid Waste Management District Superintendent Scott Anslinger said his understanding is that if a district is dissolved, the county would absorb it as another department within the county. But he doesn’t see that happening in Warrick County. “Services that are currently being provided by the solid waste management districts— if (the county) is going to disband their district, they have to account to how they’re going to continue to provide those services,” Anslinger said.

Williams, a member of the Warrick Solid Waste district’s board of directors, said he’s not sure what the future holds, and couldn’t say whether a dissolution of the district would happen in Warrick County.

Fellow board of directors member Reid said he doubts it will happen, but he would probably vote for the district todissolve.

He thinks the County Council should have more say. Solid Waste Management Districts are considered their own entities, but they have to report the county councils to have their budget approved and reviewed. The districts don’t operate with funds provided by the county.

“I would like to see (the County Council) to have a little more voice in this, too,” Reidsaid.

Warrick County Solid Waste Management District collects 0.0.432 cents per $1,000 in assessed property value from Warrick County residents. In 2012, the district received about $1.3 million from the tax levy and almost $1 million from revenues from waste disposal and the sale of recyclables.

Williams has said previously that the long-term goal of the controversial curbside recycling program was to remove the tax levy from Warrick County residents.

The program offers free curbside recycling, which is taken to the district’s recycling processing center where it is sorted. The district then sells the materials for revenue.

Williams said he believes the real reason the bill was introduced was to remove the propert ytaxes that solid waste management districts across the state collect.

Another part of the bill makes the district unable to pass laws regarding waste and recycling. Before, the district’s board could pass resolutions that could have the effect of law.

When the district’s curbside program was established last year, that was considered a “law,” Anslinger said, but the district would have had to recommend an ordinance to the commissioners for it take effect as a law.

“(It) normally (won’t) be a problem because all three commissioners sit on the (solid waste management district) board, so if they approve it on the board then naturally, probably, they will approve it when it comes to them for the final approval,” Anslinger said.

Policy resolutions, such as establishing an annual salary ordinance, won’t have to go before the commissioners.