The entrance to the Lincoln County Landfill in Kemmerer. The Lincoln County Commissioners have agreed to move forward with a study on the feasibility of a regional landfill project in cooperation with three Idaho counties. (GAZETTE PHOTO / Theresa Davis)

Lincoln County is moving forward to study the feasibility of a regional landfill with counties from both Wyoming and Idaho. The commissioners discussed the potential project at their meeting on Tuesday, Sept. 18. The meeting was held in Afton and broadcast to Kemmerer.

Jayson Lower, an Idaho representative from the potential IDAWY regional landfill project, addressed the commissioners.

“I’ve appreciated working with the commissioners and Mary (Crosby),” Lower said. “We’re trying to bring counties from Wyoming and Idaho together for a regional landfill.”

Caribou and Bear Lake counties in Idaho have passed resolutions to move forward in talks about the project. Oneida County is the other Idaho county interested in cooperating.

Lincoln County signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) at the commission meeting on August 7 to investigate the feasibility of a regional solid waste management plan. The MOU — an agreement  among Lincoln County and Caribou and Bear Lake counties in Idaho — was reviewed by Lincoln County Attorney Spencer Allred and signed by the commissioners.

“At this point, it’s about investigating to see if this is even financially and legally feasible,” Lower said. “We want to do this the right way and not rush it.”

The County Commissioners have previously stated that this project is part of an effort for Lincoln County to lower landfill costs. Lincoln County has three landfills located in Kemmerer, Cokeville and Thayne.

Lincoln County Solid Waste Director Mary Crosby told the Gazette that Lincoln County passed a resolution to contribute $30,000 to the feasability study for the regional solid waste district. Crosby said the money would come from the County Landfill budget.

“I’m excited about this project, and I think it’s a move in the right direction,” said Commissioner Jerry Harmon. “We will go through the right processes on this.”

Deputy County Attorney John Starcevich spoke at the meeting on behalf of Allred.

“The state attorney general has to approve if we want to join the special district,” Starcevich said. “If the landfill is in Idaho, then Idaho state statutes would apply, not Wyoming statutes.”

At the August 7 commission meeting, Allred said he was comfortable that the county could enter into an agreement with the Idaho counties.

Harmon asked if it was possible to create the special district with a contract that could be negotiated by all parties involved. Starcevich said that may be possible, because Lincoln County has contracted with agencies in other counties for projects before.

Starcevich said the Lincoln County Attorney’s office is still researching the statutes of Idaho and Wyoming and what the agencies in each state are permitted to do regarding special districts that involve both states.

“These are all important questions that we are still working on,” Lower said.

Crosby spoke up on behalf of Lincoln County landfill employees that were present at the meeting in Kemmerer.

“The reason that some of my staff are here is that they’re supervisors, and employees will go to them with questions about this project,” Crosby said. “And we don’t have those definitive answers.”

One landfill employee addressed the commissioners with a concern about the regional landfill project jeopardizing local jobs and job benefits.

“We don’t even know if we can join, but we’ll know a lot more at the next commission meeting,” commission chairman Robert King said. “I have no problem moving forward with an analysis.”

“What we’re trying to do is get a study done,” Harmon said. “It’s not a done deal, and there has been no talk of job loss. Idaho will move forward whether we do or not.”

Crosby reminded the commissioners that in moving forward, the IDAWY study is starting with a Preliminary Engineering Report.

“That is the first step of a USDA loan process,” Crosby said. “It’s different from the RFP (request for proposal) process that takes place in Wyoming, so things may proceed in a different order in Idaho.”

Crosby spoke to the Gazette on Wednesday, Sept. 19.

“I’ve been told that the properties for the potential landfill would be somewhere on the Bear Lake and Caribou county lines in Idaho,” Crosby said.

Crosby also said there have been previous studies on regional landfills, including one that studied the feasability of a landfill cooperation between Uinta and Lincoln counties.

“I’m not completely opposed to joining a special district if it saves money, but we need solid reassurance that it will, especially when you’re factoring in transportation costs,” Crosby said.

The next Lincoln County Commission meeting will be held on Tuesday, Oct 2, and Wednesday, Oct 3. Agendas and meetings of past commission meetings are available on lcwy.org.