City gets break on landfill fees
By Diana Royal dianar@thetruecitizen.com

Thanks to help from the county, the City of Waynesboro can push forward with a project that's helping get rid of eyesores throughout the community.

At their most recent monthly meeting, Burke County commissioners voted to waive tipping fees so the city can continue to dispose of dilapidated houses at the landfill.

The request came from city administrator Jerry Coalson, who told the commission that without their help, the program would be "done." While commissioners expressed concern over the tonnage of the demolished homes being brought in, they unanimously agreed to shave $14,514.36 off an $18,000-plus bill that had been mounting since August 2007.

According to county administrator Merv Waldrop, the City of Waynesboro was granted permission to dispose of six demolished houses in 2003. Since then, a number of houses has been brought in and the landfill charge unpaid, but Waldrop believes the city may have merely assumed they were still covered under the original waiver.

"We don't want to take for granted what you're doing for us," Coalson told commissioners, adding that the city was prepared to pay what it had to before the week's end. "We want to utilize your partnership ... our main goal is to improve the Waynesboro section of Burke County."

In addition to forgiving the previous charges, the county also agreed to allow the city to haul 10 more houses while waiving the fees - but they have to do so within the next 12 months.

At a recent city council meeting, Coalson explained to council members that the approximate 50 tons of waste per demolished home would need to be sorted before being hauled to the landfill - to salvage materials and lessen weight loads.

"They're wanting to extend an arm to help us," he said, "but we're going to have to help them, too."