Commissioners debate proposal to separate landfill from Public Works; public raises environmental, staffing and cost concerns

Commissioners held a work session to consider the feasibility of separating Bourbon County's transfer station and landfill from the Public Works department. The discussion included a formal presentation from Commissioner Gerbauer proposing a restructure and a staff-led operational review, followed by extended commissioner discussion and public comment.

Gerbauer said the landfill already appears in the county budget as a largely user-funded operation (separate salary line and cash reserves) and argued separation would improve supervisory focus and operational clarity. He said the three driving factors commissioners should evaluate are risk assessment, benefits analysis and cost analysis.

Gerbauer recommended a new supervisory arrangement reporting directly to the commission, an additional landfill position, and a separate maintenance group to handle equipment and building upkeep. He also proposed a safety-coordinator role and emphasized requiring itemized procurement bids and robust PWS statements to avoid "lump-sum" contracts.

Commissioner Tran and other commissioners cautioned that recent management changes and the county's new HR presence should be allowed time to work before a structural split. Tran urged commissioners to give the new HR-led oversight and the recently hired public-works leadership a chance to resolve personnel, morale and safety issues before reorganizing reporting lines.

Public commenters included Jay Hanley, a former public-works employee, who strongly criticized landfill management and operations and warned of environmental contamination and higher long-term costs. Hanley said the landfill had been built with a mid-construction design change that forced more manual handling and increased costs and said the county's clean-rubble practices may not comply with state statute. He urged immediate management changes.

County public-works director Eric Bailey described existing safety and operational processes: a county safety committee that meets monthly, vehicle- and equipment-inspection procedures and a mechanic shop that handles repairs based on work orders. Commissioners and staff examined proposed staffing numbers and salary estimates Gerbauer provided and discussed how salaries and positions would reallocate under the proposed split.

No formal reorganization vote was taken. Commissioners said they would not make an immediate organizational change and directed further review. Commissioners invited public-works staff and the public to provide more operational detail at a future meeting and said they would consider the three driving-factor analyses (risk, benefit, cost) before bringing a reorganization motion to a formal vote.

Ending: The commission kept the item at discussion level, asked staff to provide detailed operational and budgetary breakdowns, and agreed to hold further meetings; several members of the public said they would provide additional documentation.