Committee forwards 'Jackson's Law' landfill authority to legislative committee

County Law Director Eric Sitler gave the Health & Emergency Services Committee a brief overview of "Jackson's Law" during the committee's March 2 session and the committee unanimously voted to forward the topic to the Legislative Committee for further consideration.

Sitler described Jackson's Law as legislation affecting new landfill construction that would require a two-thirds vote to adopt locally and would expand county authority over landfill regulation and siting, noting the Planning Department and the Solid Waste Board would need to be involved in any adoption. County Mayor John Isbell told the committee the Solid Waste Board is scheduled to meet at the end of the month and that the issue could be part of the Solid Waste Plan review.

The committee temporarily suspended the rules to allow Sitler to present. Following Sitler's overview, Chairman Darrell Rogers moved, and Comm. Merrel Hyde seconded, to approve forwarding the matter to the Legislative Committee; the motion carried unanimously.

What happens next: the Legislative Committee will consider the proposal and related input from the Planning Department and Solid Waste Board; the transcript does not show any legislative action or final adoption at this meeting.