Floyd County Council on Tuesday voted to adopt an ordinance showing the council’s intent to dissolve the Floyd County Solid Waste Management District, a procedural step that starts a multi‑month process rather than immediately ending the district’s operations.

The vote came after more than a dozen residents and stakeholders urged the council to keep the county’s recycling program. Many speakers described long use of county drop‑off sites and warned of environmental and public‑health consequences if services are reduced.

“Please continue funding and supporting the Floyd County recycling program,” said Rebecca Lee, who introduced herself as a Floyd County resident. Several other residents cited the program’s local use and the $74,000 of revenue it generated last year. Paige Adams warned, “You would be gambling with human health. Is this really what you guys want?”

District director Dave Massengill told the council the operation currently employs 14 people, with him the only full‑time staffer. He described two staffed drop‑off locations — a main site on Grant Line Road and a high‑traffic Galena site that routinely sees about 400 vehicles, and on some Wednesdays more than 500 — plus a neighborhood outreach program serving roughly 30 neighborhoods and collection service for 36 local businesses, five schools and two charities.

Council member Denise Conkle presented budget figures the council and district discussed: a 2026 total cost estimate for recycling of about $487,000, of which the county would subsidize roughly $400,000 while the program expects about $75,000 in revenue. Conkle also outlined options for delaying a final decision, including building a 2026 budget that keeps recycling funded, using riverboat fund dollars, studying a service fee or contracting with a third party.

During debate, Massengill and others noted the district had trimmed costs — for example, removing an education manager’s salary after that employee’s imminent departure — and earlier fiscal reports showed a prior year budget around $515,976 with about $365,080 in personal services. Massengill said recyclables are shipped for processing to facilities including WestRock in Louisville and that cardboard is commonly reprocessed in the U.S.

The ordinance read into the record (Ordinance 2025‑O9) states the council’s “intent and desire to dissolve the Floyd County Solid Waste Management District in accordance with Indiana Code 13‑21‑3‑1.” The motion to adopt the showing‑of‑intent ordinance carried. The council and staff emphasized that the vote does not immediately terminate services and starts a roughly 180‑day process, and that final operational decisions will involve the county commissioners, who previously passed a similar showing of intent unanimously.

Speakers and residents repeatedly asked the council to pause and gather full proposals from potential private operators before acting and pointed to state recycling goals and grant opportunities. Manoj Shankar cited state law references during public comment, saying he reviewed “Indiana Code 13‑19” and “IC‑20” (as presented at the meeting) and warned cutting the program could jeopardize compliance and grant eligibility.

Council members and district staff also discussed specific alternatives that could preserve service at lower cost — consolidating to one drop‑off site, reducing hours, a targeted fee, or a third‑party contract — but several council members said the commissioners ultimately control how a dissolved district’s services would be arranged and funded going forward.

The council’s action is procedural: it sets an official timeline and gives the commissioners and other parties time to propose replacement arrangements, including hazardous‑waste collection and other core services. Residents and district supporters said they will press commissioners and the council during the process for a plan to maintain broad recycling access.

The issue moved directly from an extended public‑comment period into old business for the council; the council later advanced unrelated items. Council members consistently distinguished their procedural vote from a final decision to end recycling service, but multiple members said they expect further public engagement and negotiation before any operational changes take effect.