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Proposal targets landfill control

By Max Hrenda

Talking trash could take on a whole new meaning when the Carter County Commission convenes for its January meeting Tuesday morning.

A resolution on Tuesday’s agenda would eventually reassign direct supervision over the landfill director and landfill operations from the county mayor to the Landfill Committee.

According to the resolution, “It is in the best interest of the citizens of Carter County that the Landfill Committee be given the power to oversee all aspects of the operation of the Carter County Landfill.”

If the resolution were approved by the two-thirds of the commission, a private act would be sent to the state legislature to be voted on again. If the act passed there, it would require another two-thirds vote of the County Commission to become statute.

Placing a committee in charge of a particular office is not unprecedented. According to the Financial Management Act of 1981, the director of finance reports directly to the Financial Management Committee.

Despite that precedent, County Mayor Leon Humphrey said he was unaware of the resolution until he received his copy of the agenda on Thursday.

“When I got my packet was the first time I had heard of it,” Humphrey said. “I was not told about it, and I didn’t know who requested it.”