County Landfill Leachate Should Go To Camden

In response to last week’s coverage of the landfill leachate issue, I think some further color needs to be added to the picture presented by the County Commissioners.  Then County Commission President Chris Day sat on the committee that came up with the recommendation.  With regard to the actual decision, the Commissioners had the ability to make any choice they wanted – they were not tied in any way to the committee recommendation. On Monday, November 30, 2009, the figures for the Camden proposal were released on the audio record of that day’s County Commission meeting.  On Wednesday, December 2, 2009, the Commission voted to open negotiations with Lakengren.  That’s right, two days after the recorded release of the Camden proposal numbers, negotiations were opened with the other party making an offer.  The verbal release of those figures was serious enough that Commission President Day admonished them with a reminder on the subject.  I do not find that in the best interests of the citizens of Preble County or fair to Camden.

The recent 2 -1 decision by Preble County Commissioners to pipe leachate to Lakengren is a big negative for economic development of this county.  The leachate should be piped to Camden and open up the area north of the village to shovel ready development.  Camden has railroad, infrastructure and leadership ready for industrial development and jobs that would benefit all of the citizens of Preble County. 

The landfill assessment is paid by all of the citizens of Preble County and should not be used to subsidize the private gated community of Lakengren.   At a County Commissioner meeting on June 22, 2009, officials from Lakengren Water Authority put the benefit to that community at $10,000,000 over an 80 year period.  Lakengren is a gated residential community that has shown zero inclination toward economic development needed to provide jobs for citizens of Preble County.  If people do not have jobs, they cannot afford homes.

The first mention of this came in County Commission chambers on April 22, 2009. Immediately after that first mention of leachate possibly going to Lakengren, discussion turned to the then 13.2% countywide unemployment figure. It is the economy that needs all the help it can get, not Lakengren.  Businesses and jobs are needed, not providing financial subsidy to a private gated community. 

At a December 28, 2009, meeting attended by Camden Council members, the difference between the Lakengren and Camden proposals was put at the grand total of around $17,000 a year.  In 2009, Preble County paid over eight cents a gallon to truck 4.8 million gallons of leachate to Cincinnati, Ohio. The Leachate could have been taken to Camden for far less money.  During this time frame, Preble County Commissioners were encouraging and imploring local citizens to shop Preble County as a way to help the county stabilize falling local sales tax and save jobs.  All the while, they had it in their power to save hundreds of thousands of dollars by doing what they wanted all of us to do. All they had to do was send the leachate to Camden for less money.  They knew it, Camden officials knew it and now you know it. What makes the matter worse is that after a Camden official reminded them of it, they turned around on January 6, 2010, and contracted for another $192,000 of Preble County money to continue trucking the leachate to Cincinnati. The county may not have the money to fund a Detectives Department at the Sheriff’s Department, but we sure do have it to truck leachate to Cincinnati over spending less at Camden.  It is simply wrong to be doing so. The alternative exists to not only take care of the leachate at Camden, but encourage economic growth and still save money.

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During this same period of time, Preble County officials have been going hat in hand begging for economic development funds to develop the corn field that is Goose Creek Crossing.  County Commissioners have been begging for grants and people to give them money for the same type of development that they will not use our money for development north of Camden.  They had no problem using your money for financial subsidy of a Water Authority at a private community.

A county commissioner put the $250,000 grant from the Dayton Development Coalition at 1% of the eventual total needed to get Goose Creek ready for development.  While the county chases that $25,000,000 for Goose Creek, they turn their back on Camden over $17,000 a year, and even that total is far below what has been spent trucking the leachate to Cincinnati.  If and when Goose Creek ever gets developed, it will still lack rail service available at Camden. 

It’s your county, people, and there are two choices. Do you want the prospect of economic development and future jobs by running the pipeline to Camden? 

Or do you want the money collected from you in landfill assessment fees to subsidize Lakengren’s Water Authority?