Dispute over divisive Kansas City landfill proposal grinds Missouri Senate to a halt

The Missouri Senate ground to a halt on Wednesday as senators battled over legislation that would effectively kill a controversial landfill proposed in south Kansas City.

The bill at issue would give communities within a mile of the proposed landfill the power to block it. The current buffer is half a mile, which gives surrounding cities little input over the project.

The landfill proposed for the southern tip of Kansas City has faced fierce opposition from residents in Raymore, Grandview, Belton and Lee’s Summit, who argue the project would hurt the health of their neighbors and property values.

But some senators, including several from outside the Kansas City area, on Wednesday pushed back on the bill targeting the landfill, calling it a property rights issue.

After nearly nine hours of debate, the Missouri Senate adjourned late Wednesday evening without taking action on the legislation. The bill, a priority for some senators in the Kansas City area, is poised to become a flash point with six weeks left in the legislative session.

The debate illustrated an intense lobbying effort in the Missouri Capitol between two warring sides: Those who support the landfill and those vehemently opposed. Others feel the state should stay out of the dispute entirely.

The legislation, filed by Sen. Mike Cierpiot, a Lee’s Summit Republican, is similar to a bill passed by the Missouri House last month and legislation considered last year. Cierpiot said Wednesday the bill was narrowly aimed at the specific landfill, which has been controversial amongst his constituents.

“The proposed landfill is almost exactly one-half mile from the cities to evade state law and those cities’ involvement,” he said. “This law simply extends the one-half mile barrier to one mile.”

Cierpiot’s legislation sparked Wednesday’s hours-long debate over a wide variety of issues. Does it change the rules in the middle of the game? Are lawmakers infringing on the property rights of the developers? What about the property owners who live near the proposed site?

“I am fundamentally opposed to the government picking winners and losers,” said Sen. Mary Elizabeth Coleman, an Arnold Republican running for Missouri secretary of state. Coleman, who opposed the bill, chewed up floor time reading aloud “Little House in the Big Woods” by Laura Ingalls Wilder.

Opposition to and support of the project came from both sides of the aisle. Some senators argued that the bill infringed on the property rights of the developer, who they say had already purchased land for the landfill when the legislation was filed last year.

“We’re changing the rules in the middle of the game,” said Sen. Steve Roberts, a St. Louis Democrat, who argued it was unfair for the state to get involved.

Sen. Curtis Trent, a Springfield Republican, and Sen. Mike Moon, an Ash Grove Republican, also expressed reservations.

The landfill project is spearheaded by local businesswoman Jennifer Monheiser with KC Recycle & Waste Solutions, which has hired 19 lobbyists since last year to oppose the legislation.

“Our team is focused on conversations that address the region’s waste management needs as well as concerns about the environmental impact of our project,” Joni Wickham, a spokesperson for Monheiser, wrote in a statement. “We’ve always been dedicated to finding a solution that works for everyone and that certainly is the case now.”

Opponents of the landfill, for their part, have created a political action committee called “Kill the Fill.” The group has hired seven lobbyists to support the legislation since last September, including Steve Tilley, a former Republican House speaker who has become a powerful lobbyist.

Sen. Greg Razer, who represents the Kansas City district that would contain the landfill, said during the floor debate that property values in the surrounding area would tank if the landfill were allowed to move forward.

“Perception sometimes is reality,” he said. “And the perception is ‘do you want to buy a house near a landfill?’ Probably not. And you especially don’t want to own a house and have a landfill come in.”

Cierpiot and Razer pushed back against senators outside of the Kansas City-area who opposed the legislation. They pointed to “senatorial courtesy,” a tradition of deferring to senators from a given area regarding policies and issues that affect that area.

“I ask you to trust those senators that represent this entire area,” Cierpiot said. “We know what is best for our area, as I’m sure each of you do. The entire Senate delegation of the Kansas City-area — Democrats and Republicans — agree this is a bad fit.”

The hypothetical site of the landfill would be near the high-end Creekmoor golf course community, bordering 147th Street to the north, Horridge Road to the east, 155th Street to the south and Peterson Road to the west.

Wednesday’s dispute marked the second time in two years that the landfill has gummed up the Missouri Senate.

The dispute became a flashpoint near the end of last year’s legislative session amid filibusters from senators in the St. Louis area who argued, in part, that it should be a local issue. Sen. Rick Rick Brattin, a Harrisonville Republican who filed a version of the legislation, then launched a filibuster of his own in an attempt to force lawmakers to take up the bill.

Brattin ultimately sat down after money was placed in the state budget for the Missouri Department of Natural Resources to study possible effects of a landfill. However, Republican Gov. Mike Parson later vetoed that provision.

The Kansas City Council later agreed to halt all approvals of landfill proposals until June 2024 after Mayor Quinton Lucas met with state senators about the issue.