Residents press Loudon County commission on possible landfill sale; county attorney denies conflict of interest

Residents pressed the Loudon County Solid Waste Commission on rumors that Republic is seeking to buy the county landfill and questioned whether the county attorney had a conflict of interest connected to litigation involving Murphysboro.

The concern surfaced during public comment when a resident said the commission previously met with attorneys about long-term solutions and asked why there was no written information about any proposed sale. The resident also said, “I do not agree with selling the landfill to them because they are not, they can't fix or do what they gotta do on that permit,” and urged commissioners to “hold them accountable.”

County attorney Elizabeth Murphy responded directly to the conflict question, saying, “There is no conflict of interest. There is 0 conflict of interest, and there would be no conflict even if I was still representing Murfreesboro.” Murphy said she formally withdrew from representing Murfreesboro months earlier and that, in any event, representing different sides would create a conflict only if she had “switched teams.” She added that she has “always been in a position where my clients' interests were adverse to a landfill owner and operator” and that in this matter she is representing the owner and negotiating on the owner’s behalf.

Murphy said the commission and the two cities that are stakeholders may receive a proposal from Republic and that the entities would review any terms and seek counsel. “My job is to elicit and/or negotiate the very best, most protective potential terms,” she said, adding that she would not recommend a deal that surrenders leverage. Murphy said she expects more information in the coming weeks and cautioned that landfill matters are “tedious, slow, and complicated.”

Commission members and commenters asked practical questions about leverage, regional service radius and regulatory protections. Murphy noted that current rules allow the landfill to accept waste from a 75-mile radius, citing a 2022 standard; she said any contract would specify whether that would change. Commissioners also described adding an engineer on the commission’s side to review technical submissions and help protect the county and stakeholders; one commissioner called that addition a “game changer” for evaluating engineering work and permitting issues.

Members of the public questioned transparency and timing; one resident urged the public to wait for the county’s response to media reports and noted the commission had not had the opportunity to respond in print. Murphy said she expects additional materials to be available before the commission’s next meeting and that stakeholders and counsel would evaluate any proposal together before any decision was made.

No formal motion or vote on a sale was taken during the meeting. Murphy emphasized repeatedly that no sale has occurred and that any purchase would require agreement among the three governmental bodies (the two cities and the county).