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Floyd County Council advances ordinance to begin dissolution of Solid Waste district after heavy public opposition
Summary
After more than an hour of public comment urging preservation of the county recycling program, the Floyd County Council voted to advance Ordinance 2025-09 to begin dissolution proceedings for the Solid Waste Management District; the recorded vote was 4–3 and a second reading is scheduled for July 18.
Floyd County Council President Danny Short and council members moved forward July 8 with Ordinance 2025-09, a procedural measure to begin the process of dissolving the Floyd County Solid Waste Management District. The Council recorded the action as passing 4–3; the second reading is scheduled for a joint Commissioner–Council meeting on July 18 at 10:00 a.m.
The ordinance vote followed a sustained public comment period in which residents, nonprofit partners and longtime program volunteers urged the Council to preserve the county recycling program. Resident Rebecca Lee told the Council, “They project they will take in 900 tons of material this year alone,” and said recycling generated about $74,000 in revenue last year. Councilmember Denise Konkle, who said she supports exploring the 2026 budget before making a final decision, told the Council staff had estimated a minimum 2026 cost of $487,000 with the county subsidizing roughly $400,000 and the program generating approximately $75,000 in revenue; she said the per-household impact would be about $30 annually.
Speakers from across the county emphasized both environmental and practical consequences of eliminating the program. Manaj Shanker cited Indiana Code 13-19 and warned that disbanding local recycling operations could put the county out of step with statewide recycling goals and jeopardize grant eligibility. Nonprofits and food banks said recycling collections also support their operations; Andrew Raker of Hope Southern Indiana said recycling pickups recently supplied cardboard the food bank relied on to package and store donations.
The transcript contains an inconsistent procedural note—an earlier line records the motion as passing “unanimously,” while the formal tally recorded in the minutes and announced on the floor was 4–3, with Tony Toran, Jim Freiberger and Denise Konkle recorded as opposed. The Council did not adopt a final ordinance on July 8; rather, the Council advanced the measure for a second reading as required when a vote is not unanimous. The Commissioners will consider the second reading at the July 18 joint meeting.
