COLUMBIANA CO. OEPA will copy files of three landfills

An audit of the county health commissioner's spending continues.
By D.A. WILKINSON
VINDICATOR SALEM BUREAU
LISBON -- The Ohio Environmental Protection Agency will photocopy the Columbiana County Board of Health's records on three landfills.
Linda Fee Oros, an Ohio EPA spokesman, said Wednesday that the state will hire a contractor to copy the documents.
The copying will go back to when the health department began to operate the landfills.
"The records do exist. That's our understanding," said Oros.
She said the state EPA and the health department agreed to the move.
Earlier this month, the state gave the health department about two more weeks to provide the records.
She did not know how many documents are involved, the estimated cost of the copying, when the copying will begin or how long it will take.
Removed from monitoring
In April, the state removed the health department from monitoring the landfills near Negley, Lisbon and Rogers that accept construction and demolition debris.
The monitoring of construction or demolition debris is less stringent than the monitoring of solid waste landfills.
She said the state EPA had discovered solid waste was accepted at the landfills.
The state now monitors the landfills.
The health department is appealing its removal as the landfill monitor.
The state agency has been seeking landfill license applications, correspondence, board minutes relating to the landfills and other records.
"Things seem to be moving forward," Oros said.
Work continues
Joe Case, a spokesman for the Ohio Auditor's Office, also said Wednesday that work is continuing on an audit of spending by County Health Commissioner Robert Morehead.
County Prosecutor Robert Herron asked for the audit after a May 2 Vindicator story described Morehead's use of a county credit card to make personal purchases.
Morehead has said he paid for the purchases and stopped using the card for personal purchases.
wilkinson@vindy.com