Residents reaching out to city council over landfill concerns
By Chris Fortune
City leaders are hearing from concerned residents about potential fee increases at the St. Joseph Sanitary Landfill and perceived mistreatment of a local waste management company.
Numerous residents sent identical emails addressed to Mayor John Josendale and City Council members throughout the day on Tuesday.
“Mayor Josendale and City Council: Tell the City Manager and all city employees to immediately STOP harassing and retaliating against ABC Disposal Services LLC, its employees and owner for just exposing the truth about the city landfill. They are hard working people just trying earn a living, run a business and do good by their customers. The city’s behavior is shameful and needs to STOP NOW! DO YOUR JOB and hold city employees accountable! Make them FINALLY tell the FULL truth about what is happening at the city landfill. If they won’t do it, hire people who will be honest and transparent with the taxpayers,” the email read.
The emails come after concerned community members gathered at Monday’s city council meeting in opposition to fee increases being proposed for dumping at the landfill.
News-Press NOW spoke with Joshua Reinert, owner of ABC Disposal, who is leading much of the opposition on Tuesday afternoon, but he declined to be interviewed for this story.
The City of St. Joseph released a statement Tuesday evening about the proposed rate increase.
“The subject of raising tipping fees at the St. Joseph Landfill was discussed by the City Council at a recent work session. That meeting has since raised much public discussion, some factual and some speculation, on what options have been, and will be, ultimately considered by the City Council. The Landfill is regulated by the Department of Natural Resources and must comply with all guidelines and regulations set forth by the DNR. Any proposed increase will fall under our approved operational state-issued permit.
As a result of this public discussion, many comments and perceptions have surfaced from both waste haulers and the public. The city will not engage in, or respond to, speculative comments or questions. Those that are substantiated by fact will be addressed.
The City Council takes any proposed rate increase, on any city service, very seriously and will consider the effect on both operations at the city and the customer who pays for the service before making any decision. What may be the best option for one, may have a detrimental outcome for the other. The City Council must weigh both the short-term and long-term effects of their decision, and that decision will be based on facts. The subject of a proposed landfill rate increase is in the development stage, and all options will be considered, however nothing has been determined at this time.
A work session will be held on Tuesday, December 3, from 4-6pm, in the Council Chamber at City Hall. The public is invited to attend and gather information about the proposed rate increase from 4-5pm, followed by a City Council discussion from 5-6pm. An ordinance with a proposed rate increase will be on the City Council agenda at its December 9 meeting, with a vote occurring on the January 6, 2025, City Council agenda,” the statement said.
As News-Press NOW previously reported, the decision to raise landfill disposal rates was made after SCS unveiled eye-opening findings from a study showing the city had experienced a near 50% increase in the rate of dumping over last five years, putting the landfill on pace to reach full capacity and close by next July if not addressed.
An Easton man who uses the St. Joseph landfill weekly to drop off construction waste said he understands the city’s need to address landfill space.
“I understand because we’ve been using this for over 30 years , and I’ve just seen how fast it’s filling up,” Hal Myers said.
But he stressed the need to keep it economical for nearby residents.
“Keep it affordable for the locals and then charge everybody coming from outlying areas a little more,” he said. “That’s my opinion.”
