A special work/study meeting of the Van Buren Township Board of Trustees will be held at 7 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 3, to discuss “a fifth amendment to the Host Community Agreement with Waste Management” landfill.
VBT Supervisor Linda Combs said the meeting concerned Waste Management and Woodland Meadows golf course. The meeting will not be cablecast, she said.
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The expectation by Linda Combs at the start of the dump expansion meeting was to have a brief presentation, followed by public comment and then vote to approve the expansion of the landfill at the of November 15th board meeting. There was to be no public hearing scheduled and the Environmental Commission had not been involved or even notified.
During the meeting, Diane Madigan pointed out that Clerk Wright, Sharry Budd and Phil Hart (the negotiating team with Waste Management) had received campaign contributions from Waste Management during the negotiations and this could have influenced the outcome. Phil Hart who had a long career at Ford Motor Company, should have remembered Ford’s strict policy forbidding employees from accepting anything of value from suppliers and should have realized it is unethical for him to accept $1500 in donations from Waste Management during his negotiations with them.
There are far reaching effects of this landfill expansion including the end to free trash collection for VBT residents and the expansion of the landfill to the edge of Ecorse Road and Hannan Road. This agreement will extend the large scale dumping of waste in VBT forty years until the year 2056.
It is my opinion that our VBT elected officials should not be permitted to commit our township to an agreement effecting the daily lives of a majority of our residents and their children for the next 40 years without a vote of the people.
The Environmental Commission was very much involved in the Host Community Agreement with Woodlands Meadows in the 1990’s. They should be included in this process and there should be a public hearing.
The discussion about what kind of waste would be accepted was vague. WM wanted to accept fracking waste but the township wouldn’t allow that. No further discussion about accepting radioactive TENORM or FUSRAP which stays in the soil for thousands of years. The Environmental Commission needs approve this amendment to the agreement. I also agree with Carl, the people should vote on this agreement as free trash pick-up will be history.
Waste Management wants to give the township $8M to seal the deal to burden the taxpayers. Leon will have it spent in a year, if he hasn’t started spending it already.
Not only would this affect trash collection for the residents but also yard waste pick-up and curbside recycling. Since VBT is the host community these services should continue because we continue to be the host community. The original Host Community Agreement took years to negotiate and should not be amended without the vote of the community. The Environmental Commission has a membership to reflect the residents and they should have been included to represent us. Is it possible that Budd, Combs and Wright want us to be taxed for this service of trash collection? Sumpter Township used the VBT Host Community Agreement as a model for their community but they somehow were not able to include curbside recycling. VBT officials do not want a public hearing on this just as they did not want a public hearing on the Visteon issue. A town hall meeting or a public hearing would mean they would have to be transparent and forthcoming with answers; something they are not willing to do.
The campaign donations are troubling and makes one wonder what kind of deals are being made behind closed doors. WE WANT MORE INFORMATION AND LESS CAREER POLITICIANS.
Leon and Sharry would sell our souls if it meant that they would keep getting the money from WM. You know, they have to account for the bad deal with Visteon and the millions they have lost for our township. What is next, what will we lose or have to pay for next?
I agree with Carl, this should have been a public vote. Very troubling that Hart accepted campaign money in that amount from a company he was negotiating with… same thing just happened with this Rizzo trash company in other cities. So much corruption. Are there any decent and honest politicians anymore?
Steve, I did not accept any campaign contributions from any business doing business with the township in 2012 when I ran for Supervisor. I was offered contributions but honorably refused to accept those funds. Just the way it is with me.