January 28, 2011 in News, City

Verner or not, garbage summit is a go

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Next week’s regional Solid Waste Summit will occur with or without Spokane participation, County Commission Chairman Al French announced Friday.

The two-day gathering of local government officials throughout the county is intended to outline a new framework for the Spokane Regional Solid Waste System, which is owned and controlled by the city of Spokane.

Spokane Mayor Mary Verner said Thursday the conference should be postponed because the two biggest governments – Spokane and Spokane County – were too far apart on the issues.

“I believe the county may be actively trying to incite the deconstruction of the regional system,” Verner said Friday. “But the city of Spokane is actively engaged in trying to find ways to keep it together.”

The county and smaller cities want an independent, democratically controlled organization to take over. Commissioners also want to be able to consider alternatives to the Waste-to-Energy Plant, such as long-haul landfills.

Spokane wants to retain ownership and day-to-day control, and to have a “safe harbor” provision that Verner says would allow Spokane to “protect its interest in the event that any party tries to exercise unilateral control.”

Verner said Spokane “remains committed to ensuring that there is meaningful and viable participation by all of the jurisdictions in the system.” However, she said, there should be “consequences that cause a jurisdiction to pause” before taking action detrimental to the system.

“If jurisdictions are simply bargain hunting for the cheapest way to get their garbage out of sight and out of mind, they may want to explore long-haul,” but they’ll still have to deal with issues such as recycling, hazardous waste disposal and landfill liability, Verner said.

French said he is hopeful that commissioners and Verner can come to an understanding in a meeting Monday morning, but “we are prepared to move forward without the city.”

French said Cheney Mayor Tom Trulove and Airway Heights Mayor Richard Rushing confirmed they will attend the summit.

Later Friday, Spokane Valley City Manager Mike Jackson said he and Mayor Tom Towey also will come.

Spokeswoman Marlene Feist said Verner doesn’t plan to attend but is meeting with the commissioners on Monday morning.

The summit, which the public may attend, will be from 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Wednesday and Thursday at the CenterPlace Regional Event Center in Spokane Valley.

Five comments on this story so far. Add yours!

• 

  west on January 28 at 6:32 p.m.

  Too many gov involved,,, spokane county, spokane valley, spokane city..should have annexed all into city of Spokane…..long time ago.Abysmal government…

• 

  DavidBray on January 28 at 6:39 p.m.

  You don’t solve any problems or reach a compromise, by not attending a meeting.

  We need a Mayor who understands that.

• 

  Dazzeetrader11 on January 28 at 9:24 p.m.

  Verner has made a power play when she has nothing. Shogan had the police on high alert to show Mark RIchard the street during a Council meeting as I recall. That’s not the type of thing easily forgotten when she needs a meeting with the Commissioners.

  County will take it over and, because she’s spent her currency, she’ll be allowed to watch. She’s such a bad politician but she’s getting what she’s asked for…just not what she wants.

  Alienating the County Commissioners won’t help her re-election…which is good because she’s done nothing but do her best “Obama” when trying to recover from her outrageous spending. Spokane needs her like it needs a boil on its neck.

• 

  mistykira on January 29 at 1:19 p.m.

  This is a complex issue and should have been taken up years ago as the Solid Waste Advisory Committee suggested. Unfortunately the city drug its feet and now wants to create a crisis in order to maintain power and advance an agenda that is costly and bad for all. I hope Mayor Verner will show some leadership and embrace a new system that empowers all–not just the city. If she stays on this path she will be the cause of the regional system’s demise and leave the city with a used up incinerator that no one wants.

• 

  spokanesausage on January 30 at 12:38 p.m.

  Once again, Verner’s lack of leadership shows out. For a Mayor who claims she wants to work on Regional issues and cooperation she had done nothing but the complete opposite.

  Where are all those green jobs she promised too?