Neighbors sound off on landfill expansion

Two threats of litigation were lobbed toward members of the Flathead County Solid Waste District Board, along with two offers to sell land to the district “today” during a Tuesday public meeting.

The meeting was designed to gather comments about future expansion needs of the landfill.  

Other speakers insisted the district ignore state law about how to determine the value of any land which might be purchased, with one man saying he could show the board how to circumvent laws.

State statutes prevent governments from paying more than the appraised value for property, but some people at the meeting said that isn’t enough money for their land.

Board members called the meeting to explain some options the district is considering to acquire enough land to bury trash for the next century.

Landowners of the 15 sites that have been identified as potential expansion zones were notified of the meeting and asked to attend to hear the explanation and to ask questions.

What’s next in the process is uncertain, board members said.

They will talk about the issue at the next several board meetings and continue to plan a course of action. The board next meets at 3 p.m. April 24 at the landfill office.

Board member Alan Ruby said the board “won’t move fast. We need a win-win situation,” he said. “This is an open conversation.”

The district has about $1 million in its land acquisition account, which board members have committed to fund at $200,000 a year. The landfill’s strategic plan estimates the cost to acquire new land at about $4 million.

Board members said they’re still in the exploratory phase about how to handle future landfill needs and no immediate decisions will be made.

The north pit at the landfill, which currently is in use, has an estimated life of another 10 to 12 years. The south pit has been permitted by the Department of Environmental Quality and trash can be dumped there as soon as needed. That pit is estimated to be big enough to handle garbage for 40 or so years.

Under discussion now is acquiring 14 parcels of mostly developed land at the southwest corner of the landfill, covering about 90 acres, or acquiring a 571-acre parcel across Prairie View Road from the landfill.

Each option has advantages and disadvantages, county Public Works Director Dave Prunty said.

If the 14 properties are bought, the solid waste district wouldn’t have to build any new roads or a new scale, office and shop buildings because the existing infrastructure could be used.

If the operation moves across the road, those features would have to be built.

Multiple options are on the table, Prunty and board Chairman Hank Olson said.

One option that some people at the meeting seemed to like is that the district buy property and lease it back to the current owners for a decade or two until the land is needed by the district.

Olson said the board has no interest in condemning property to acquire it.

“Don’t even go there,” he said. However, several speakers said they were sure the district would utilize eminent domain to take their land, no matter what.

Olson reiterated his point. “If people don’t want to sell, we’ll consider other options,” he said.

Brad Rathbun, who owns one of the 14 lots, promised the board he would sue and the board would face a class-action lawsuit if it tries to buy the 571 acres across the road. Rathbun said the 14 property owners don’t want to live across from a landfill.

He also told the board he wanted the Daily Inter Lake reporter at the meeting “stifled” because if a story is printed about the potential land acquisition and landfill expansion, “all of us are screwed.”

He said there would be no way he could sell his property if people think the landfill might expand.

Terry Weed, who also owns one of the 14 lots, said some of the property owners are worried about their quality of life if the landfill grows, but also feeling “trapped” because of the investments they’ve made in their land and the effects of the economic downturn.

Yet, Weed said, “I feel I should cooperate because it’s the best deal I’ll get.”

Reporter Shelley Ridenour may be reached at 758-4439 or by email at sridenour@dailyinterlake.com.