Commissioners approve temporary $81,580 engineering contract for county landfill

Burke County commissioners voted Nov. 3 to approve a temporary $81,580 contract with Garrett & Moore Engineering to perform environmental engineering and regulatory compliance tasks at the county’s solid-waste facility.

County manager said the county had not changed landfill engineering firms in more than three decades and that the county sought fresh perspectives to review permitting, groundwater monitoring, methane gas management and broader planning. Staff conducted a request-for-qualifications process with eight firms, narrowed to four, and recommended Garrett & Moore. The temporary contract is intended to cover immediate compliance testing and permitting tasks while staff finalizes a longer-term annual contract for board consideration.

Why it matters: The county transports most municipal solid waste out of county and the manager said the state’s nearest municipal solid-waste facilities have limited remaining capacity. The engineering work will support planning for long-term waste handling and address methane monitoring at closed county landfills, including recently required mitigation measures near property boundaries.

Action taken: Commissioner Burns moved to approve the temporary contract and the board approved it unanimously, authorizing the county manager to execute the agreement subject to county attorney review. The county manager said the $81,580 is already budgeted and no additional appropriation is required.

Next steps: Staff will return to the board with a proposed full contract (annual scope and fees) likely at the December meeting and continue planning work on municipal solid-waste options and permitting.