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Mayor Lund says turning off incinerators now would be "neither responsible nor realistic"
Summary
Mayor Lund told the council a circulating petition calling for immediate incinerator shutdowns overlooks costs, legal risks and the lack of proven alternatives; the administration invited public engagement in planning the sewer comp plan.
Mayor Laura Lund told the City Council on April 27 that while the city agrees on a long-term goal to move away from incineration for wastewater solids, an immediate shutdown and trucking of residuals to distant landfills would be "neither responsible nor realistic." Lund said the City has paused plans for a new treatment facility over PFAS and other technical uncertainties, but that stopping incinerators now would be more expensive, legally risky and could become a long-term ("10 to 15 plus year") commitment with uncertain environmental benefits.
Lund said the city is investing to keep operations safe in the short term, including remediation work at Postpoint, and framed recent signage and rapid responses around reported ICE activity near the courthouse as part of operational communication. She invited the public to participate in the sewer comprehensive-plan process and previewed a public presentation to the Water Resources Advisory Board on April 28; the administration emphasized that any transition must be guided by engineers, regulators and public-health experts.
Council members were told that the city remains accountable for environmental and community health outcomes and that staff will provide the timeline and opportunities for public input through the comp plan process.
