Newport city leaders and waste-industry speakers pressed Benton County officials to permit a modest expansion at the Coffin Butte landfill, saying it would buy time for regional planning and help hold down disposal costs.

At the Oct. 20 Newport City Council meeting, members of a coalition called Benton Clean & Strong and local waste haulers told councilors that Coffin Butte is one of only two municipal landfills west of the Cascades and that the site has limited remaining capacity. "This landfill has about 10 ish years left," said Dani Lisonbee, a coalition speaker who described the expansion as a way to "buy about six more years" for the facility.

The coalition urged Newport to make its position known to Benton County, where a conditional-use permit application (LU-24-27) to expand a final 50-acre parcel has been denied by the local planning commission and is now under appeal to the Benton County Board of Commissioners. "We are looking for folks who are willing to tell those Benton County commissioners, hey, we support this, we depend on it," Dani Lisonbee said, asking Newport to provide verbal testimony or a letter in support.

Business owners and county officials who spoke at the meeting framed the landfill as critical infrastructure. Rob Thompson, owner of Thompson Sanitary Service in Newport, said Coffin Butte "is a public resource. It's it's infrastructure to our community that all of the citizens here rely on." Walter (Richard) Chuck, who identified himself as a county commissioner and the city's solid waste commissioner, said the region currently moves hundreds of truckloads of waste to Coffin Butte each month: "we produce between 300 to 3 50 trucks worth of solid waste a month."

Councilors discussed ways to register support in time for Benton County's scheduled hearings Oct. 22–23, when the appeal will be heard. The written record for the Benton County proceedings is closed, but speakers may sign up for two-minute verbal comments by Zoom. Councilor Cynthia Jacoby and at least one other councilor volunteered to be available to provide verbal testimony; staff offered to help sign them up and to draft a succinct statement for the board.

Councilors emphasized that any city comment should balance support for the modest expansion with acknowledgement of broader waste-reduction goals. Councilor Hickman said the message should make clear that expansion is sought to "buy us more time" while long-term planning and waste reduction are pursued.

No formal resolution or binding council vote was recorded directing a specific action; instead, council members agreed by consensus to authorize up to two councilors to testify verbally at the Benton County hearings and asked staff to prepare a brief statement and to assist with sign-ups.

Why this matters: Coffin Butte serves many coastal jurisdictions as a disposal site; its closure or restricted capacity would likely increase hauling distances and costs for Newport and surrounding counties, possibly affecting municipal budgets, school districts and private haulers. Benton County's decision will influence access and rates across multiple counties.

Next steps: Council staff offered to sign up councilors for the Benton County Zoom hearings and to circulate a short, council-approved statement for those testifying. The Benton County Board of Commissioners is scheduled to hear the appeal on Oct. 22–23, 2025.

Votes and formal actions: The council did not adopt a formal resolution that night on the expansion. The council directed staff to assist with signing up members to give testimony and to draft a statement reflecting council priorities.