3-county trash plan airs tonight

Ulster lawmakers will hear from firm that’s recommending new authority

Ulster County lawmakers this evening will get their first look at a study recommending the creation of a regional public authority to oversee solid waste disposal in Greene, Ulster and Sullivan counties.

The Legislature is scheduled to hold a special meeting at 6:30 p.m. at which representatives of Cornerstone Engineering and Land Surveying will walk legislators through the firm’s study and outline its recommendation for the creation of a three-county authority.

The report does not propose any possible long-term disposal solutions but says existing programs for management of waste and recyclable materials in each of the three counties “are compatible,” and it recommends the three counties establish a joint board that would decide how to proceed.

Cornerstone looked at “Are there synergies? Is it feasible today to create a three county authority? Os it worth moving forward with a three-county authority? And the answer was ‘yes,’” said Legislature Chairman Ken Ronk.

Ronk, R-Wallkill, said it will be up to each of the three counties to decide whether to move forward with the creation of a regional authority, and, if they do, to seek state approval to form it.

Sullivan County officials last week took a wait-and-see approach on the issue.

The report recommends a seven or 11-member board, with Ulster County — which has twice the population and tonnage of solid waste produced — holding one more than the other two counties, but not more than the

other two counties combined.

The consultants did not provide a recommended budget for the tri-county authority but said combined revenues, based on 2016 spending plans, were $31.86 million, while projected expenses total $30.3 million. The report said Greene and Sullivan counties would save money by merging with the Ulster County trash agency to negotiate lower disposal costs.

A looming problem for the three counties is their continued use of the Seneca Meadows landfill near Syracuse, which the consultants said is “expected to cease accepting waste in January 2025 if no further permit expansions or modifications are submitted.”