After rejecting vote of the people, commissioners approve CleanLane waste facility 3-2

More than two dozen residents of Lane County asked for a public vote on the proposed CleanLane waste processing facility. During public comment Aug. 20:

Paul Horvath: Commissioners, I planned on standing up here today and discussing all the reasons that I believe that the IMERF—oh, I’m sorry, CleanLane—is a bad idea. But, after reading all of the emails and letters that were submitted to public record, all 135 of them, it became very apparent that a large percentage of your constituents are not in favor of this, and at least would like it to go to public vote.

[00:00:43] Damon Rapozo: Hello, I’m here in opposition of Clean Lane or IMERF, and for me it’s just we got an election three months away. It’s so convenient. I don’t think a minority group of people should be deciding on a $170 or $150 million project. I think it should go to public vote. The people that are the risk bearers, if this project fails, costs overruns, etc., they should have a say in this. And I don’t know how we got to a place where a minority group gets to decide on a project so grand. Projects this large are ripe for corruption, cost overruns, unforeseen events, and again, we’re on the hook for it.

[00:01:28] Chris Kjar: My name is Chris Kjar, I’m the general manager of Sanipac. Maintaining public trust is a very fragile thing. People have to believe in the program, they have to believe in the decisions that they’re making. This facility fails, it’s a disaster not only financially for the county, but more importantly it would destroy the foundation of public trust for the recycling programs for years to come if not decades. This is why we believe this should be put out to a public vote. That way the facility, if it’s approved, it lives up to its promises, then great. If the issues and the problems, then at least the people have made the choice and the people own their decision.

[00:02:07] Travis St. Clair: My name is Travis St. Clair. I’m a little disappointed that I need to come here and plead for you to send something like this to a vote. This is a massive project. We really need to stop rushing through this. Get the facts out, and let the facts talk to the people, and let the people decide whether or not this is something that we need, and then we, from there, will all be responsible, and, let our voices be heard, and send this to a vote.

[00:02:37] Martin Hopkins: I’m Martin Hopkins. I’m in opposition to the IMERF project for a few reasons. Some spoke earlier about a large project like this probably is better suited for a public vote. So, I encourage you to take a look at this. If you feel strongly about it, make the case to the public. Put it out to vote. If this is a winning project, the public will vote for it. If it’s not, they won’t.

[00:02:59] Patti Chappel: Patti Chappel here. The lack of transparency that has taken place, and the enormous cost of this project, which is estimated now about $178 million, that’s $23 million in interest on the $35 million you’re hoping to borrow for this project. The people of Lane County deserve better than this. A split decision of 3-2 is too close. The people of Lane County should be allowed to vote on something so incredibly costly. And if you can’t get it on the November ballot, put it on the May ballot for the voters of Lane County to look at. You’re supposed to be working for the good of all the people. And you have to let their voices be heard.

[00:03:41] Scott Simmons: I would like to see a better cost analysis in print on a public ballot that everybody might take a good close look at it, so I recommend that we put this off, or I should say, you put this off to a vote with the public.

[00:03:59] Keith Baskett: The price keeps rising. It’s now $178 million, which was a little bit of a shock to me. By the time it’s said and done, I’m sure it’ll be pushing well over $200 million. DHS, with its money, and the Inflation Reduction Act misnomer money, make it well within the range, well over $50 million, to bring it to the voters. By assuming they want you to break the bank, without asking them? I don’t think that should happen.

[00:04:23] Janet Lovelace: My name is Janet Lovelace. I’m against not having the voters speak. This is huge. This is a whopping amount of money. We don’t have it. As I’m speaking as myself, I don’t have $178 mil to put forth on this, but I do believe that it needs to go to the vote of the public. It’s very important that we’ve got a mixed bag here within your own commissioner board. That tells me already there’s people on the board that’s saying, ‘Uh-uh.’ I’m sure all of you can agree that this needs to go to the vote of Lane County citizens. We’re the ones that will be on board for the dollars. And I can guarantee you those dollars will increase. It’s just the way, I’m sorry, government operates. That’s the way things work.

[00:05:19] Another concern that’s really bothered me a lot about this because I didn’t want to come here today to tell you the truth, it brings back some bad memories for me, but I have a major concern about that people in this county are unaware that this is happening.

[00:05:39] I did my own little personal poll. I know it doesn’t probably count for anything in your books, but it absolutely did to me. My family, my friends, and even when I’m at In-N-Out shopping, I’ve asked about this. And people do not, they’re not aware. So I ask you to please reconsider and put this to the vote.

[00:06:02] Susan Koziol: Susan Koziol. There’s been no transparency. I just found out about this, like, not too long ago. What I’m more worried about is trust in my officials who are elected to care about the people. Bring transparency, bring this to the forefront on the table so the people, bring it to a vote so the people can choose. I don’t believe five people have the right to rule over Lane County.

[00:06:27] Kevin Flory: My name is Kevin Flory. I’m on the board of directors of Pleasant Hill Goshen Fire Department. This IMERF program, this project, it needs to go on the ballot. People need to see the financial impact that’s going to be affecting them. And the details of this whole thing and if they don’t have that information, you know, you’re not being fair to them So I’m urging you put this on a ballot. Let the people decide.

[00:06:54] Curt Offenbacher: I’m a board member of Emerald People’s Utility District. I’m here to remind you that EPUD has been ignored throughout your process regarding the IMERF facility. Here’s a petition. (You can give it to staff if you’d like.) There you go. Hey! That’s over 1,700 of our customers that signed this petition with very little effort on our part. And that gives you a little example of the opposition to this project. We ask you to have the courage to step back and send the project to the people’s votes.

[00:07:38] George Devine: My name is George Devine. I’m a 30-plus-year resident of Lane County, been involved in local politics. I cannot believe how a couple of you have the temerity to not put this before the voters. This is a democracy, the last time I heard, and when someone wants to spend $150 to $200 million of my money, you shouldn’t make the decision by yourself. This needs to go to the public. I don’t understand how you can’t see that this doesn’t need to go to the voters.

[00:08:10] I know no one in my circle of influence that even knows what IMERF is. It has been this mysterious thing that has come up all of a sudden whenever I’ve talked to somebody what they, and asked what they think. They don’t even know what I’m talking about. You guys need to get this out, to the public, a lot, in a lot better fashion, and then you need to put it to a darn vote.

[00:08:32] Robert Ball: I’m Robert Ball. This needs to be sent to Lane County voters to weigh the pros and cons and then make a decision.

[00:08:42] Fred Yates: My name is Fred Yates. The sheer magnitude of the debt that you five commissioners are attempting to place on the entire population, 383,000 people in Lane County for the next 20-plus years demands that people put forward to the citizens as a ballot measure. The original proposed cost of this project was touted at $150 million.

[00:09:02] Now, nine months later, the cost has skyrocketed to $178 million, an increase of 20%. It’s hard for me to comprehend how you, the county lawyers, staff, and BHS could miss the mark by such a wide margin. It forces me to wonder what other factors you could have missed and what is the real true cost. Rumor has it, until last week, $24 million of interest expense from the $35 million bond issue was kept hidden.

[00:09:29] That $24 million goes a long way to explain the $28 million increase. It needs to be put before the people for a vote. You five do not have the right to do such an atrocious thing.

[00:09:41] Tom Dietrich: My name is Tom Dietrich and if you must continue to consider moving forward with it, I would ask that given the property value impact and the escalating cost estimate involved, that you bring the project approval up to a vote by the citizens impacted by it. My understanding that this is the largest publicly-funded project in Lane County government’s history. Shouldn’t this be put up to a vote by the citizens?

[00:10:06] Scott Greene: Hello, my name is Scott Greene. I’m also concerned about the costs. And I agree with the more articulate people here who say that this needs to be put on the ballot. So I would respectfully request that you reconsider your vote, those who are trying to push this forward, and put it either on the November or the May ballot.

[00:10:26] Melinda Montgomery: Hello, I’m Melinda Montgomery. I’m a fifth-generation Oregonian living in Noti on our sustainably harvested timberland. Please stop going forward with this IMERF project. If you feel you have to go forward, at least put it to the ballot so the people can vote on it. So, please put it to the vote.

[00:10:45] Sylvia Ronning: My name is Sylvia Ronning. I am going to be the nearest person there besides all those people in Goshen. And I do not believe the people in Goshen, it’s a small place, have seen information I’ve been receiving in the last week. And I think it should go to a vote, because there’s a lot of people in the Goshen area that ought to be at least informed better by now.

[00:11:15] David Day: I was unaware of this project until about a month ago. And it was too important not to miss work and come up here because it’s too big of a project and the people should be able to decide on this. And I look at you, and I look at you, and I think you, and you want to spend our money without us having anything to say about it. Really, you should go home and think about it. Really should. I mean, that’s our right to protect our money and invest the money we want. And if I don’t want that, and the people in Lane County don’t want that, you should at least put it out for a vote, but you, you, and you don’t have the right to make that decision for us. Do you understand that?

[00:12:02] Andiel Brown: My name is Andiel Brown, educator, activist, data analyst. The fact that there are so many people who want you to consider not moving forward with this project shows that there’s a clear lack of trust and transparency. It’s very important for the people of Lane County to trust its commissioners and the decisions that they make. Without transparency, there’ll never be trust. Without trust, we are a divided county and with a project as large as this, and with as much money that is on the line, there needs to be more of a more transparent process. There was already a suggestion by someone put forward today that this be put to a May vote since it’s too late to be put on the November ballot.

[00:12:45] And I’m not against the project per se, but I am against the lack of seemingly transparency and voting process. There’s increasingly more and more eyes on this commission, and I think this is a perfect opportunity for you all to show your constituents that you hear them and that you value them.

[00:13:04] Heather Redwine-Walter: My name is Heather Redwine-Walter. If you’re going, really wanting to move forward as it is, it needs to go to a vote because it’s just too large of a project to not go to the vote of the people.

[00:13:16] Alexandra Wagner: My name is Alexandra Wagner. I am one of your rural constituents. I feel like the only transparency that has been brought forth is by EPUD. I had no idea about this project until the general manager did decide to warn us what was happening and how it would affect us. I feel like I lack all confidence in three of our commissioners who are voting to push this forward without a public vote. I feel like it needs to go to a vote.

[00:13:51] If you’re transparent, if you want our votes, you need to show us what’s happening. Because $170 million dollars, that can’t come out of my pocket. I’m a single mom, and I am ashamed of our commissioners who are voting to push it forward without our knowledge. My neighbors have no idea. The other parents at the school that I’ve talked to have no idea what IMERF or CleanLane is. You rebranded it. That doesn’t make it any better. Please put this to a vote.

[00:14:24] Christine Miles: My name is Christine Miles. I am truly in opposition and honestly a little bit appalled of proceeding with any project this large without the vote and input from citizens. Why the hurry? Good leaders listen. We have to be able to trust you and the fact that I didn’t know about this, to echo a lot of other people’s comments, until EPUD shared this with me.

[00:14:48] So the fact that my own county had no interest in telling me what was going to raise my taxes is disconcerting, to be completely honest. We have to be able to trust you. Capital items of this size, they require citizen oversight. That’s part of your fiduciary duty. Even the RFP process has fiscal thresholds.

[00:15:07] So while we appreciate you vetting the RFP as part of your actual job, it’s now up to us to decide how that money gets spent. You do the legwork, we do the deciding. Any concerns brought up today by businesses can be and should be resolved by citizens inside of a vote. We should be able to trust you. Be transparent, be open, and let us decide based on what you’ve found out inside of this.

[00:15:32] Mary Beckman: My name is Mary Beckman and I live in the rural area of Cheshire, and I am not in favor of this project as I had once commented at an earlier board meeting. It could create a financial hardship for many of the folks in the rural area due to the rate increases.

[00:15:48] The rural area and communities are left out on a regular basis when decisions like this are being made. And I want to thank my commissioner, Ryan (Ceniga), for continuing to look out for us. So with that said, I think a project this size should be voted on by the people that, well, it’ll be affected by. And not a panel of five individuals. So I would, I’m asking to please put this on the earliest ballot possible.

[00:16:16] Jim Chenoweth: Hi, my name is Jim Chenoweth. I live in Goshen and I oppose this. I’m not for this IMERF thing. I think that the system that we have in place has been working pretty well for a long time.

[00:16:29] We’re talking about trying to bring the heart of technology to Goshen, Oregon, that’s going to be one of the top recycling centers in the nation, but with a high cost to the people that live here. So I’d really appreciate you guys bringing it to a vote to the public.

[00:16:46] John Q: After the public comment period:

[00:16:50] Commissioner David Loveall: The weight of testimony concerns me from this morning—and the amount of pushback I feel that we’ve gotten in the last just week alone.

Let me just kind of brief you on, on kind of where my head is right now. My email stats right now, our public comment email stats was 132 emails, 14 supported. That’s 10.6% of the people supported the project. I personally had 712 emails in my box, and just in the last week, 18 of them said ‘Yes.’ That’s a 2.5% approval rating for this project. So that really makes some pause on me. Now, obviously, you know my position. My constituents at Springfield District 2 have told me that they do not want me to support this project, and I’m going to represent my constituents fairly because that’s my job.

[00:17:32] John Q: After discussion:

[00:17:34] Commissioner David Loveall: I’d like to move the board to direct staff to place the approval of the CleanLane project to the voters to be decided on at the May 2025 election.

[00:17:43] Commissioner Laurie Trieger: It’s been moved by Vice Chair and seconded by Commissioner Ceniga. All those in favor of putting the CleanLane Project to a ballot, please signify with an aye. (Aye.) Those in opposition, a no. (No.) Motion fails on a vote of two to three with Commissioners Ceniga and Loveall in the minority. With that, I’m ready for a motion on the order before us.

[00:18:11] Commissioner Heather Buch: I’ll move approval of order 24-08-20-09 in the matter of amending resolution in order number 23-12-05-07, delegating authority to the county administrator to sign any necessary documents with BHS projects at Lane County LLC related to the leasing property for, and operations of, the Clean Lane Resource Recovery Facility.

[00:18:38] All those in favor, please signify with an aye. (Aye.) Those in opposition? (Nay.) Motion carries 3-2.

[00:18:47] John Q: Despite public comment asking for a vote of the people, Lane County votes 3 to 2 to move ahead with the CleanLane project.