Commissioners against guaranteed waiver for flow control for Brunswick

MEDINA — The Medina County commissioners are leaning in opposition to Brunswick being granted a waiver from the flow control requirement in the county's updated solid waste plan. During the commissioners' meeting Tuesday, Solid Waste Director Barbara Walton said a technical advisory committee was formed to help navigate the issue of flow control within the new plan. Flow control requires waste from within the county to go to the processing facility in Seville. "(Brunswick) did make us aware that they wanted to be allowed to have a waiver from bringing material to our facility at that time, so that was all discussed," she said. "There was an opportunity for us to put language in the plan to possibly allow for up to 15,000 tons of material from the city of Brunswick to go to a different facility." Commissioner Steve Hambley said Brunswick wants an unconditional waiver rather than a conditional one. "If we're going to entertain this idea of a possibility of a waiver, it's going to cost everybody else in the county dollars as well as we have to redo and basically negotiate a new contract with Rumpke," he said. Brunswick has conditions that Hambley believes are "unacceptable," like a Jan. 1 start date, which is before the plan is officially ratified, and an exclusive right to cancel the waiver at any time. "At this point, I'm willing to say that I think we commissioners ought to be backing the idea that there is no waiver going to be granted to the city of Brunswick," he said. "We find both the conditions that they're stipulating as well as the change in contract with Rumpke as being unacceptable and detrimental to the future of the solid waste district." Brunswick announced its intention to veto the plan if it is not guaranteed a waiver from flow control, Walton said. "Brunswick is the one that holds the lever of the veto power, but there are other interests that have to be involved in a countywide plan, and that was the result of careful negotiations," Commissioner Aaron Harrison said. "I think in summation of what (Hambley) said is that if Brunswick is going to be unhappy in either instance, then perhaps we don't need to frustrate some of our other partners in the process." A draft plan was sent to the EPA, Hambley said. Brunswick has proposed amendments to the plan, and the commissioners have other proposed amendments. The policy committee will determine what goes out for public review. "We will be spending the next month getting public comment on this, which means village councils, township trustees, city councils and the general public can weigh in on what we're proposing," he said. "The city of Brunswick can also weigh in, and then, the policy committee can take any of that input and then produce a plan that would go out for ratification." If it does not get ratified, the EPA will hire a consultant who will look at the plan that was submitted and come up with a plan for the county to implement, Hambley said. According to the Ohio Revised Code, the EPA will consider the debt associated with the waste processing facility. "As well as the current programs and that we're meeting the requirements of the statute in terms of recycling and reduction and everything else that we do," he said. "We're in full compliance." Contact reporter Madisyn Woodring at (330) 721-4049 or mwoodring@medina-gazette.com.