Board adopts Marathon County solid waste environmental management plan; loan application and tri-county obligations clarified

Marathon County Board of Supervisors — The Marathon County Board of Supervisors on July 22 adopted the county’s solid waste environmental management plan (resolution 45-25) and authorized staff to pursue state environmental loan funding to support landfill-related work.

Supervisor Michael Jensen asked whether approval of the plan would commit the county to accepting a roughly $12.8 million environmental loan and whether the plan includes a multi-county partnership to handle leachate over the landfill’s life. Solid Waste Director Hagenbusher and county counsel clarified the adoption is a necessary step to seek funding but does not automatically obligate the county to accept any loan offer.

"If the state doesn't want to do it and they don't rank us high enough, then we'll have to come back and evaluate if a funding mechanism needs to be reevaluated," Solid Waste Director Hagenbusher said. He described the plan as "a practical way of funding the project" and said submitting a plan is needed to be considered for principal forgiveness or favorable loan terms.

Board members discussed an existing intergovernmental Tri-County agreement. "Marathon County back in 2003 entered into a Tri County agreement with Portage and Shawano County... in that agreement, it specifies that any unforeseen or unforeseeable costs relative to managing the landfill that come up would be with the responsibility of all 3 entities," Hagenbusher said. Corp. Counsel also clarified that any loan or grant would require separate board action — including a budget amendment — to accept funds or debt.

Supervisor Robinson, speaking about joint-venture rules, said the county has adopted policies to define roles and responsibilities for long-term obligations and that county officials will need to negotiate with neighboring counties to address long-term treatment costs that persist beyond the landfill’s active life.

The board voted to adopt the plan; the meeting transcript records the motion carried. The adoption authorizes staff to pursue state funding and rank the project for loan programs but does not commit the county to accept or obligate repayment until the board separately approves loan acceptance and any required budget amendments.

Next steps identified in discussion included pursuing state ranking through the application process and negotiating or confirming intergovernmental agreements to clarify the allocation of capital and long-term care responsibilities across the tri-county partners.