County requests withdrawal from solid waste district

TIFFIN – Seneca County commissioners voted to withdraw from the Ottawa-Sandusky-Seneca (OSS) Solid Waste Management District Thursday morning. According to the resolution obtained by the A-T, the commissioners unanimously voted on the resolution to request "OSS approve their withdrawal from OSS. " According to state law, the process for a county to withdraw from a solid waste management district begins with the commissioners of a county passing a resolution to request the district approve the withdrawal. What OSS does According to the organization's website, the district was formed in "March 1989 under HB 592, which required counties to form single or multi-county solid waste districts." The district has developed a solid waste plan which "ensures disposal capacity for the next 15 years." It also sponsors "waste reduction, recycling and reuse programs" to meet state reduction goals. The mission of the Ottawa, Sandusky, Seneca Joint Solid Waste Management District is to "ensure quality waste stream management for its residents and to foster long term positive solid waste habits including recycling, reduction, reusing and buying of recycled products," the website reads. The county explains The Seneca County Commissioners' office sent out an explanation regarding its decision to withdraw from OSS after Thursday's meeting. The release states that the commissioners have determined residents would "be better served if the commissioners withdraw from the OSS and form a new solid waste management district for Seneca County alone." The commissioners believe "the solid waste disposal fees generated in Seneca County should be used to address solid waste issues in Seneca County, including problems caused by the presence and operation of WIN Waste's landfill." The commissioners propose that forming Seneca County's own solid waste management district will address the issues. Ottawa County commissioners, Sandusky County commissioners and OSS did not respond by deadline. According to Ben Nutter, community engagement and government affairs for WIN Wase, "We continue to operate as a reliable partner to the community, meeting rigorous standards with regular inspections by both the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency (OEPA) and the Seneca County General Health District (SCGHD)." "In fact, there have been over 250 site inspections since the start of 2024 with no enforcement actions," Nutter continued. "The results speak for themselves: there is no evidence of wrongdoing, only proof of our adherence to the highest environmental, safety and operational standards." Nutter: "WIN Waste Innovations is a valuable asset to Seneca County, contributing to the local economy through nearly $12 million in annual wages for good-paying jobs and over $15 million in purchases of Ohio goods and services. We remain committed to collaborating with all parties to uphold our rigorous standards and continue serving as an asset in our community." What happens next? A copy of the resolution will then go to the district's board of directors and the board of directors must send a notice of the request for withdrawal to the commissioners of the other counties involved in the district, Ottawa and Sandusky counties in this case. The Ottawa and Sandusky commissioners then must pass a resolution approving or denying the request within 60 days after receiving the notice, according to the law. If either Ottawa or Sandusky passes a resolution to deny the withdrawal request, the OSS board of directors must declare the withdrawal as denied and written notice must be delivered to the affected counties within 30 days. If both Ottawa and Sandusky pass a resolution approving the withdrawal request, the OSS board of directors must declare the withdrawal as approved and must deliver a written notice to the affected counties within 30 days. If the withdrawal is approved, the change in the district will not be final until one of the following happens: Anne Vogel, the director of the Ohio EPA approves the waste management plan for the new district and the amended plan for the remaining joint district. If the joint district doesn't get its plan approved on time, Vogel creates a plan for the district. If some districts don't get their plans approved on time, Vogel creates plans for them and orders the implementation of those plans, while approving the plans of the other proposed district. If Vogel decides how the districts should be formed and creates plans for them. Once one of the above conditions is met, Seneca County's withdrawal from OSS will become final on Jan. 1 after the conditions are met. From Jan. 1, the county will no longer be part of OSS, its board members will leave the board and taxes for OSS can no longer be levied unless the taxes are to pay off an existing debt. The OSS board will then divide the district's funds and property between the district and Seneca County based on prior contributions and agreements. The solid waste management policy committee of Seneca County then must show that the county has enough space for waste management. If Seneca County has enough waste facilities or has contracts to use facilities outside the district or state for the next 10 years, OSS's policy committee must show this to Vogel and she will approve or disapprove this within 60 days. If Seneca County does not have enough waste facilities or contracts, its policy committee must submit a plan explaining how it will manage waste for the next 10 years, which will include a financial study, details about existing facilities, future waste estimates, new facilities needed, costs and rates. Vogel will then approve or disapprove the plan within 60 days based on feasibility and reasonableness. Vogel will then notify Seneca County's policy committee of the decision. If she disapproves, the change in district composition (i.e. Seneca County leaving OSS) will not happen and the existing districts must update their plans. If the existing districts are under a plan ordered by Vogel, she will prepare and implement a new plan. If Vogel approves the preliminary plans, Seneca County's policy committee and the policy committees of the remaining members of OSS must prepare detailed waste management plans within 20 months. If any of the districts fail to submit their plan on time, the change won't happen and the director will prepare new plans for the existing districts. If Seneca County or the remaining OSS can't get their waste management plan approved within 38 months, Vogel will step in. She will ensure that each county involved in the change is "part of a district that either has enough waste management facilities within its borders or has agreements to use facilities outside the district or state to handle all their waste for the next 10 years," according to the law. If waste management needs of the counties can be met with the proposed changes, Vogel will create a new or updated plan for each district that did not get their plan approved within 38 months. If she decides the waste management needs cannot be met with the proposed changes, Vogel must figure out how to form new districts to ensure each county has enough waste management capacity. She will then create new or updated plans for the districts. If any existing district stays the same, she will update that plan, too. If the new plan involves creating a new joint district, the director will order that the new district be formed within 30 days. If the plan involves changes such as counties leaving or joining districts, she will order that the changes be made within 30 days.