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DeKalb committee debates landfill-proximity discount, EPD says odors are not classified as air pollution
Summary
Commissioner Ted Terry proposed a proximity-based sanitation discount for residents near the county landfill as a quality-of-life mitigation; staff estimated roughly 4,400 households within two miles and a revenue impact of $200,000–$300,000 and agreed to study fiscal impact and precedent after EPD air-division representatives said odor is distinct from regulated air pollution.
A proposal to offer sanitation bill discounts to residents living closest to DeKalb County’s landfill drew discussion and a request for further study after a state environmental agency presentation clarified that odor complaints are not classified as regulated air pollution.
Commissioner Ted Terry introduced resolution 2025-1787, which proposes a tiered "rebate" or discount structure for residential sanitation service based on proximity to the landfill as a mitigation for quality-of-life impacts. Terry said constituents near the landfill were told decades ago the landfill would be temporary and that frustrated residents have asked the county for relief. "...they were told by apparently Emanuel Maloof in the 80s that the landfill was only going to be there for like 20 years and that when it closed it would be a beautiful park," Terry said in the hearing.
Staff presented an initial GIS estimate that about 4,400 households fall inside a two-mile radius used for preliminary calculations. Using current rates and that population, staff estimated a revenue reduction in the range of about $200,000–$300,000 if a discount program were implemented. COO Williams said the county has not previously implemented a differential discount based on proximity to environmental concerns and that an analysis to identify precedent and fiscal impact is required.
Representatives from the EPD air division who presented to the committee distinguished between odors and measurable air pollutants, saying odor at the landfill is "annoying" and affects quality of life but is not presently treated under air pollution rules as a health threat. Staff said they will work with GIS and EPD contacts to refine the fiscal impact and research where other jurisdictions have used proximity-based discounts.
The committee agreed to defer a final decision and asked staff to return to the next committee meeting (April 21) with a refined fiscal analysis, any known jurisdictional precedents, and public-health context from EPD’s monitoring. The committee approved the deferral by voice vote.
