Seneca County's request to withdraw from solid waste district denied

TIFFIN – Ottawa County and Sandusky County commissioners voted to disapprove the Seneca County commissioners' request to withdraw from the Ottawa Sandusky Seneca Solid (OSS) Solid Waste District. Ottawa or Sandusky County needed to deny the request. For Seneca County to be approved to withdraw from OSS, both Ottawa and Sandusky Counties needed to approve the request. Ottawa County voted on Jan. 9 and Sandusky County voted on Jan. 14, according to meeting minutes obtained by the A-T. What happens next Now the process falls to the OSS board of directors who must declare the withdrawal as denied and deliver a written notice to the affected counties within 30 days of the initial denial. The denial of the withdrawal means Ottawa, Sandusky and Seneca Counties will remain in OSS. The host agreement between OSS and WIN Waste Innovations according to OSS's 2023 revenue reports, provides about $1.56 million a year in funding for the district. Had the withdrawal been approved, OSS would no longer exist, which would have voided the host agreement and left Seneca County with only approximately $373,841.19 per year in solid waste disposal fees from WIN Waste. Pages 1 - 7 of the host agreement are available for viewing on the online version of this article. Readers who would like to read 11 total pages of the 2019 agreement can contact OSS to request a copy of the document, which is public record. In Nov. 2024, the Seneca County commissioners unanimously voted to request a withdrawal from OSS. In a release sent after that meeting, the commissioners 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 their concerns. County commissioners respond Thursday evening, after the A-T sent questions to the Seneca County commissioners, a press release regarding the denial of their request to withdraw from OSS was sent out. The commissioners shared they are "disappointed" in the disapproval of the request. The commissioners said they will continue their efforts "to gain greater local oversight of WIN Waste Innovations of Seneca County landfill in Fostoria." To accomplish this goal, the commissioners said they will work with local elected officials to address their concerns. The Seneca County commissioners, who have been proponents of Senate Bill 119, which makes changes to solid waste and construction and demolition debris, were asked if they decided to request a withdrawal from OSS to support a change to the withdrawal process in SB 119. SB 119, proposes "the board of county commissioners of a county forming a joint solid waste management district may initiate proceedings to withdraw from the district by adopting doing either of the following: (1) If the board of county commissioners represents a county that is the locale of solid waste facilities that collectively paid more than 75% of the annual revenue of the joint solid waste management district in the immediately preceding calendar year, adopting a resolution declaring that the county will unilaterally withdraw from the district." It also proposes that if a county which falls under this requirement votes to withdraw and the request is denied, the solid waste district's board of directors is to host a meeting to discuss the objection to the withdrawal. If after that meeting, the county still desires to proceed with the withdrawal, the board of directors must approve the withdrawal within 30 days. With the host agreement between OSS and WIN Waste in place, Seneca County is the locale of a solid waste facility that pays more than 75% of the annual revenue of the joint solid waste management district. If SB 119 were already passed, Seneca County would still be able to withdraw without the approval of Ottawa and Sandusky Counties. While the county did not answer questions from the A-T, it did address SB 119 in the press release, stating the bill "addressed legislative obstacles that prevent counties from withdrawing from joint solid waste districts" and added that for a county to leave such a district, all other members must agree to the withdrawal. The release continued by saying if Seneca County could form its own district, it would provide more direct access to funding generated by disposal fees, more local oversight, and "help to protect the health of residents and the environment." The county went on to list environmental impacts that it says come from the landfill.