Hauler to pay fee on Mahoning trash dumped in Pa. landfill
YOUNGSTOWN — Mahoning County commissioners approved an agreement under which the county will collect a $1.50-per-ton fee for waste collected in the county and dumped in a Zelienople, Pa., landfill.
On Thursday, the commissioners approved the pact with Vogel Holding Inc. of Mars, Pa., which collects trash in the county and dumps it in that company’s Seneca Landfill.
That fee is the same amount the county collects for each ton of waste generated in Mahoning and dumped in the county’s landfills, said Jim Petuch, county recycling director.
The agreement preserves an estimated $100,000 in annual revenue the county would have lost due to out-of-state dumping, Petuch added.
The recycling director said he will place the revenue derived from this agreement into the county’s general fund, which supports central functions of county government.
“We believe it’s important for the operations of the county right now. The county is hurting, and we want to help,” Petuch said, explaining why he’s directing this money to the general fund.
Although the money from the agreement with Vogel can go to the general fund, fees for waste dumped in county landfills can be used legally only for limited purposes such as recycling, litter-law enforcement, landfill inspections, emergency spill management and landfill haul road maintenance, Petuch said.
Also Thursday, Youngstown’s Board of Control awarded the city’s residential trash-hauling contract to Vogel’s Ohio Valley Waste Service Inc. for two years, with two additional one-year renewal options.
Having bid $8.70 per household per month for about 20,000 city households, Vogel was the lowest of four bidders for the contract, which takes effect March 1 and is worth about $2 million a year, said David Bozanich, city finance director.
That contract previously was held by Waste Management Inc., owner of the Mahoning landfill in Springfield Township.
The commissioners also passed a formal resolution directing the board of elections to place the county’s half-percent sales tax on the May 4 primary ballot as a five-year renewal measure.
The commissioners heard Mark Cleland of Austintown urge that the tax be earmarked specifically for the county’s criminal- justice system. “The criminal justice department needs us and needs us now,” he said, noting that the county spends more than two-thirds of its general fund on criminal justice.
George J. Tablack, county administrator, however, said such earmarking is inadvisable because it would deprive county officials of flexibility in budgeting.
A group calling itself the Committee for Our Future has been formed to campaign for the tax renewal. Its chairwoman is Karen Armeni of Poland, and its co- chairwoman is Joyce Kale-Pesta, deputy county elections director.
The commissioners also heard Guy Hassen of McDonald complain about the deteriorated condition of Mahoning-Trumbull County Line Road along the boundary between Austintown and Weathersfield townships.
County Engineer Richard Marsico said he would examine that road and discuss improvements to it with officials of the two townships and Trumbull County.
milliken@vindy.com