Editorial: VBT Board OKs landfill amendment on 4-3 vote

After almost three hours of arguing Tuesday, the Van Buren Townships Board of Trustees voted 4-3 to approve the fifth amendment to the landfill host community agreement with Waste Management.
Voting yes were McNamara, Wright, Martin, and Budd. No votes came from Miller, Frazier, and White.
Supervisor McNamara, who recently single-handedly negotiated the final parts of the agreement after the township negotiating committee had finished with it last year, said the $250 million the township gets over the next 40 years will make VBT financially as solid as the Rock of Gibraltar.
He said in August of 2016 the township was looking at going into receivership in 2019. He said the passage of the public safety millage buoyed up the township. Now, with the landfill money coming in, the township will be able to maintain its levels of services and there would be no reason to raise taxes for 40 years.
There were about 20 members of the crowd who got up to speak on the issue. Two police officers were in favor.
After the vote, members of the audience mumbled, “It was a done deal,” referring to the 4-3 split on the board that gives McNamara the approvals he seeks.
People spoke of campaign contributions from Waste Management to McNamara, Budd, and Wright. There were rumblings of removing four board members by recall. The natives are restless.