Escambia County To Sue ECUA Over Part Of North Escambia Trash Deal

May 8, 2009

The Escambia County Commission has voted to sue the Emerald Coast Utilities Authority to stop ECUA from using a garbage transfer station, part of the plan when ECUA took over residential waste disposal in North Escambia.com.

ECUA’s acquisition of the garbage transfer station from Allied Waste was to be used to avoid tipping fees — fees paid to dump at the landfill. If ECUA hauled garbage from North Escambia to the Perdido Landfill in Beulah, ECUA would be required to pay Escambia County’s tipping fee. But by using the transfer station, residential waste collected in North Escambia could be collected from individual trucks and then transported to an Alabama landfill, avoiding the tipping fees to Escambia County.

But the county contends that a 1992 agreement between the county and ECUA allows ECUA only to collect waste, not dispose of it. County Attorney Allision Robinson told commissioners that using ECUA’s use of the transfer station to ultimately transport the trash to Alabama would be disposal.

“The agreement says that ECUA will not operate a central recycling facility, and this transfer station is not a recycling facility,” District 5 ECUA Board Member Larry Walker tol NorthEscambia.com after Thursday night’s commission vote.

The commission approved the use of eminent domain against Allied, allowing the county to take the transfer station property on Palafox Street just south of Texas Street in Pensacola. Eminent domain would allow the county to force Allied to sell the transfer station to the county at fair market value.

Walker said he believes that the commission’s actions Thursday night are a move toward the county’s ultimate goal to take over ECUA.

“Unfortunately, the county is not looking at what is best for the citizens,” Walker said. “The county just can’t wait to take over ECUA.”

Comments

5 Responses to “Escambia County To Sue ECUA Over Part Of North Escambia Trash Deal”

  1. Common sense on May 8th, 2009 11:37 am

    OK, I have no problem with them using a central location to lump all the trash together into fewer trucks so that it is cheaper for them to dump it, and hopefully, then cheaper for us. I DO have a problem with them combining loads and then taking it to Alabama and paying Alabama for it. It should be dumped at the county landfill and keep that revenue here……unless of course they proved that it was costing us (the county) more money to handle that garbage than ECUA would be paying them to dump it.

  2. psu1earl on May 8th, 2009 10:26 am

    Bama54, actually the county wants ECUA to pick up the trash less efficiently so that the county can make more money on tipping fees…tell me that makes sense…

  3. bama54 on May 8th, 2009 8:42 am

    Do I see our Trash bill going up? Why can’t Escambia County/ECUA get their ducks in a row. This county has so much to offer, but it seem to me they can see the forest for the trees. I have seen this county go from picking up trash (and lost money), to letting some other company pick up trash, and now ECUA can’t pick up trash good enough to satisfy the county. With all the problems our county has to address, this is not one of them!!

  4. psu1earl on May 8th, 2009 8:08 am

    This is another “waste” of our tax dollars…what do we have to gain? …we either end up paying the county in taxes or ECUA in fees, just pcik who you want the money to go to…but with the county suing ECUA we get to pay a lawyer too! Yipee! Let ECUA collect the garbage more efficiently, and forget paying the lawyers, please…

  5. bmb on May 8th, 2009 7:55 am

    Somebody step out of the lightning path, the county wants to take over something. I am printing this one just for my own record purposes.

Written by William Reynolds · Filed Under News