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Stakeholders exploring potential expansion of Cedar Rapids/Linn County landfill
The cities of Cedar Rapids and Marion are joining Linn County in an effort to increase collaboration to meet the area’s evolving, growing waste needs
Jan. 30, 2026 4:18 pm, Updated: Jan. 30, 2026 5:08 pm
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MARION — In an effort to protect a “regional asset,” area municipalities are looking to collaborate on a potential expansion of the Cedar Rapids/Linn County Solid Waste Agency landfill.
Officials from Linn County and the cities of Cedar Rapids and Marion on Friday jointly announced a proposal to establish a working group to explore the revision of the waste agency’s governing system — the first step toward a possible facility expansion.
Per a draft agreement between the three entities and the agency, the working group will be tasked with researching and recommending a new agency governance structure that is based on “national best practices and that encourage and facilitate county-wide representation of the regional asset.”
“Managing solid waste is a regional responsibility, and long-term solutions require communities to plan together,” said Cedar Rapids Mayor Tiffany O’Donnell. “These discussions represent an important first step, opening the door to collaborative work to assess both near-term opportunities and future regional needs to support continued growth across greater Cedar Rapids.”
The agreement also opens a path toward a limited landfill expansion and calls for the creation of a related “host fee” structure through which Marion would be reimbursed for costs associated with housing the facility.
The proposal will head first to the Marion City Council for discussion and possible approval this upcoming Thursday with similar votes planned in Linn County and Cedar Rapids in the coming weeks.
As landfill space shrinks, urgency grows
The Cedar Rapids/Linn County Solid Waste Agency is currently governed by a nine-member board made up of local elected and appointed officials who work in tandem with agency staff to guide waste management operations.
The board includes one representative from the city of Marion, two from Linn County and six from the city of Cedar Rapids who provide oversight of both the landfill and resource recovery building at 1954 County Home Rd. in Marion and the compost/yard waste facility at 2250 A St. SW in Cedar Rapids.
Landfill operations and waste diversion initiatives have been of special interest for the group, particularly given a 2024 report that the facility is filling up faster than expected and could close as early as 2036 — eight years ahead of schedule.
Solid Waste Agency board chair and Cedar Rapids City Council member Tyler Olson said board members and the entities they represent have been in conversations for months about how best to address the issue.
“Once the current landfill site is full, the cost to transfer out will be significantly higher for everybody that lives in Linn County and for all the businesses of Linn County,” he said. “ … So it’s important for us to work as hard as we can to extend the life of the landfill for as long as we can.”
Agreement aims to revise agency governance
The result of those conversations was the memorandum of understanding now headed to the cities and county for approval. It also will require the approval of the existing waste agency board, which will discuss that matter at an upcoming special meeting.
As proposed, the Linn County Board of Supervisors would appoint between seven and nine members to a working group to research and recommend a new governance structure for the solid waste agency.
The board’s appointments should ensure a “diverse membership” and include representatives from agency staff, consultants/technical experts, select industrial landfill users and the East Central Iowa Council of Governments, among other stakeholders
Once appointed, that group will meet regularly and publicly to discuss potential governance structures for the agency.
Download: Landfill MOU.pdf
“It gives us a framework of how we can talk publicly about potential solutions and different kinds of paths forward,” said Linn County Supervisor Sami Scheetz. “I think we all want to go in with an open mind, not predetermined solutions.”
The group’s recommendation is mandated by the memorandum of understanding to be rooted in best practices for waste management and result in a governance structure under which “no single entity shall constitute a majority or a controlling voting interest.”
Its proposal shall also establish expectations of governing members, any proposed term limits and rules for meeting attendance and participation.
That recommendation would then return to the Linn County Board of Supervisors, and the cities of Marion and Cedar Rapids city councils for individual approval. All three would need to approve the proposal for the new governance structure to take effect.
Agreement could mean slight increase to landfill footprint
Along with the formation of the working group, the memorandum of understanding further states conversations will continue between the city of Marion and other entities regarding the potential for a limited expansion of the landfill’s footprint.
A 2006 agreement requires approval from the Marion City Council for any such alteration. City leaders have been hesitant to approve such proposals in the past, citing potential impacts to Marion residents as the city continues to grow in the direction of the landfill.
The current memorandum of understanding, however, outlines one way the city could consider reducing the landfill’s required 1,800-foot setback by 450 feet — effectively allowing a limited expansion to return the landfill’s capacity to its original 2044 projection.
“What this really does is give us more time to have a larger conversation within the region on better strategies to keep costs lower” when it comes to waste management, said Marion City Manager Ryan Waller.
The memorandum of understanding states the Marion City Council would consider changing the setback simultaneously with its vote on the working group’s proposed solid waste agency governance update.
Should the new governance structure not be implemented because of a negative vote by any party, or a failure to adopt that structure were to occur on the part of the agency, Marion would not be required to reduce the setback.
As a condition of Marion’s agreement to consider the limited expansion, the memorandum states the Solid Waste Agency also will agree to pay Marion a “reasonable host fee” to “ease the direct environmental, infrastructural and economic burden that an expanded landfill” would place on the city.
The initial fee — which would go into effect July 1 should an expansion be approved — is proposed at $250,000 plus a per tonnage rate of $1.75 per ton of residential waste and $2.25 per ton of commercial/industrial waste managed by the landfill.
The city and the agency would then work together to establish an ongoing annual fee for implementation in future years.
Agreement timeline
The memorandum of understanding will require separate approval from the governing bodies of Linn County and the cities of Marion and Cedar Rapids on the following dates:
– Marion City Council: Council discussions held Feb. 3, vote scheduled for Feb. 5
– Linn County Board of Supervisors: Discuss and decide on Feb. 9
– Cedar Rapids City Council: Discuss and decide on Feb. 10
The agreement also will require approval from the Solid Waste Agency governing board, which will hold a special meeting on the matter soon. No exact date has been set.
Comments and questions can be sent to grace.nieland@thegazette.com
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