Landfill deal is good news

Linn County, Marion, and Cedar Rapids have announced plans to collaborate on charting the future of the Cedar Rapids/Linn Solid Waste Agency landfill and on revamping the agency's governing structure.

This is good news. We’ve known for years that our local governments collaborate on policy decisions, especially on issues with impact beyond lines on a map.

Admittedly, we haven’t been very successful in convincing local leaders of the value of regional efforts. Elected officials’ default setting tends to be focused on their respective turf and its needs. But working together, they could find solutions to nagging problems that can’t be solved while acting separately.

The landfill's future is one of those problems.

In 2024, a report predicted that the landfill at the intersection of Highway 13 and County Home Road would be full and closed by 2036. That’s eight years faster than the previous forecast.

That adds some urgency to decision-making. Whatever solution they develop could have ripple effects on garbage collection rates and consumer use of the facility.

The draft agreement may indicate a potential expansion of the landfill. That would be up to Marion officials, who also want a new “host fee” to reimburse the city for expenses associated with hosting the landfill. An expansion would extend the landfill’s life span by eight years, providing more time to identify a permanent solution.

Restructuring landfill governance must come first.

The agreement would allow for the appointment of a working group to come up with recommendations on a new government structure based on “national best practices and that encourage and facilitate county-wide representation of the regional asset.” The membership would include agency staff, consultants/technical experts, select industrial landfill users and the East Central Iowa Council of Governments, among others.

A nine-member board currently governs the agency, comprising locally elected and appointed officials who work in tandem with agency staff. The current board includes one representative from the city of Marion, two from Linn County, and six from the city of Cedar Rapids, who oversee both the landfill and the resource recovery facility.

City councils in Marion and Cedar Rapids and the Linn County Supervisors will be asked to approve the agreement.

If the landfill effort is successful, it could serve as a transformative model for greater regional cooperation, ultimately enhancing the quality of life for all residents and setting a precedent for tackling complex challenges together.

(319) 398-8262; editorial@thegazette.com