Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Hazardous Waste Plan topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Yelm weighs adopting Thurston County hazardous-waste plan vs. creating local plan; staff recommend joining county plan
Summary
Council heard staff present the Thurston County Hazardous Waste Management Plan and answers from the county to earlier questions. Staff said adopting the county plan costs the city nothing now; developing a local plan could cost roughly $20,000 in consultant fees and faces tight timelines before Jan. 1.
Unidentified Speaker 7 summarized staff work on the Thurston County Hazardous Waste Management Plan and said the county supplied written answers to council questions that staff attached to the packet "as they sent them back to us, so we didn't, change them at all." Staff told the council the city can adopt the county plan by the end of the year or pursue a local plan but that developing a local plan would likely require a consultant and an estimated cost of about $20,000.
The presenter said staff will present the item formally next Tuesday because county staff were not available to return to speak in person. Council members asked whether opting out would force the city to create its own hazardous-waste collection site; staff said the city would only be required to have a plan describing where waste will be handled and would likely not need its own collection facility.
Several council members raised questions about DEI-related language and whether it is regulatory. Unidentified Speaker 5 said the county's plan did not require DEI content and questioned why the language appeared; Unidentified Speaker 7 said the county’s responses were detailed, including on DEI. One council member warned that failing to sign on could risk federal funding, a claim staff attributed to potential noncompliance consequences.
Staff emphasized timing constraints: the city must be part of a plan or have its own by Jan. 1. Unidentified Speaker 7 told council that joining the county plan carries no immediate financial commitment and that the city could later develop its own plan during the five-year period if it chooses. Staff requested that council flag any remaining concerns now so staff can bring additional answers next week if needed.
