GFL, landfill committee keep expansion talks going, but finish could be near

Jul. 18—EAU CLAIRE — Negotiations on expansion of Seven Mile Creek Landfill may finally be nearing the finish line as both sides make concessions.

The Landfill Siting Committee and representatives from GFL Environmental met Friday to further negotiate another round of proposals between the two parties.

Creative counteroffers were offered to previously stagnant conditions, including the terms of a deed restriction, something GFL has stood firm on.

This counteroffer calls for the implementation of a "trigger" agreement in lieu of a deed restriction. Without a restriction plan in place, GFL has the right to increase the size of the landfill in future expansions. But the trigger agreement will require GFL to expand protections under the sociological and property protection plan for future landfill growth.

"For example, if GFL applies for an expansion that results in the vertical height being greater than the approximately 33-foot vertical expansion now proposed, the additional protections in the agreement are triggered and would immediately take effect, e.g., the property value protection plan expands to include additional properties," the letter states.

GFL agreed to the trigger plan proposal. Within the terms of the proposal, property owners closest to the landfill could receive $3,000 in compensation for annual increases.

While there have been some concessions, there are terms that both parties continue to negotiate, specifically tonnage fees and the scope of the property value protection program.

Tonnage fees are paid by GFL to the town of Seymour and the city of Eau Claire, currently set at $1.85 per ton of garbage.

The committee foresees a consumer price increase that will already increase the fees closer to $2.00.

Earlier in negotiations, the committee had proposed upping the tonnage fee to $3.35, but has since come down to $2.20.

GFL had previously proposed $2.00 per ton, but went up to $2.05 a ton in its latest counteroffer sent to the committee.

The two parties also disagree on how long ago residents living nearby should've bought their homes to qualify for a program that would protect the sale value of their property from impacts of being close to a landfill.

Per its last proposal, GFL had chosen properties purchased after 2005 to be a part of the protection plan.

The siting committee came back with a counterproposal that all households purchased before June 17, 2020, should be included in the protection plan.

"The June 17 number is coming from when the (Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources) issued and approved the feasibility of the landfill. At that point folks are without excuse about what was happening," said Anders Helquist, an attorney representing the siting committee.

Although final agreements could not be reached without legal counsel and further discussion from both parties, members expressed hope that terms of negotiation could be agreed on.

"I think that we've been encouraged by the progress here," Helquist said.

The committee is hoping to reconvene to close negotiations in the next few weeks.