Amelia County advisory committee hears Maplewood landfill update, asks county to share draft ordinance before publication

The Amelia County Landfill Advisory Committee on April 3 reviewed a quarterly operations update for Maplewood Landfill, heard public comment from a resident who raised process concerns about the prior meeting, and voted to ask the county to send the committee a draft of the proposed ordinance after it clears county council but before it is published in the paper.

Resident Allison Cruz of Perkinson Road used the public-comment period to say she learned of scheduling changes only after being contacted by another resident and to allege that the record of the prior meeting omitted an incident between two committee members. "I asked the chair immediately after that meeting to possibly ban phones at the table of those involved," Cruz said. She also told the committee she has applied to fill an empty advisory position.

Committee members received a readout of Maplewood operations figures and first-quarter host fees as provided in the Waste Management packet. The transcript records the numbers as spoken by a committee member (January, February and March net tons and a quarterly tonnage total) and a host-fee total for the quarter; some numeric values in the meeting transcript are difficult to read verbatim and are reported here as presented at the meeting. The committee was told a DEEQ inspection occurred with "no deficiencies found." Members also heard that Waste Management installed a deodorizer unit near the northwest property line by the rail spur and that Richmond-area roll-off operations changed their weekend schedule so containers are emptied both Saturdays and Sundays at about 10 a.m. (previously they were emptied on a single weekend day).

Members said the schedule change and the deodorizer appear to have reduced overflow and odor complaints on at least some recent weekends, though isolated smells remain and the committee emphasized continued community reporting so the county and the operator can monitor effectiveness. Several members expressed disappointment that Waste Management did not send a representative to the meeting; they asked the company to provide at least brief in-person representation for future meetings so members can address operational questions directly.

A longer agenda discussion focused on a proposed code/ordinance text intended to align county code with operations at the Maplewood convenience center — for example, rules for oversized items and white goods. Several members said they had discussed the ordinance's spirit but had not seen the actual draft text. Committee members also raised a separate concern that the landfill appears to be operating to weekday-only public hours even though the solid-waste agreement language refers to Monday–Saturday operation; members asked staff and the liaison to seek documentation from both the county and Waste Management showing any written request or approval for operating-hour changes.

To increase transparency, a committee member moved that once county council has reviewed a draft ordinance, the county provide a copy of the draft to landfill committee members via the supervisor liaison before the ordinance is published in the paper or presented at the board meeting so members can review and, if desired, appear or comment at the board hearing. The motion was seconded and the committee approved it unanimously; the transcript does not include a roll-call vote tally.

The committee also discussed a separate weekend operations plan intended to reduce overflow at the convenience center and noted that additional monitoring will determine whether the changes should continue or be adjusted. Members closed the meeting after a brief update on a weather-monitoring grant application and a question about activity at a nearby power plant, with no substantive updates on the plant's operations.

The committee expects the proposed ordinance to move through legal review and to the board following required public-notice and hearing steps; members asked that the county provide the draft after council review and prior to publication so they may confirm the ordinance text reflects their earlier discussions.