Republic Services has appealed the Benton County Planning Commission’s decision to deny the company’s application to expand the Coffin Butte Landfill, setting up a final review before the county’s Board of Commissioners.
The waste management company filed its appeal Tuesday after the Planning Commission voted July 29 to reject the expansion proposal. Under county rules, any party has 14 days from the commission’s decision to file an appeal.
Along with the appeal, Republic Services requested and received a 60-day extension of the review process. The extension pushes the deadline for completing the quasi-judicial land-use application from Sept. 27 to Nov. 26 to give all parties additional time to prepare evidence and testimony.
The Board of Commissioners will hold a public hearing on the appeal in late October, though the county has not yet announced the specific date. The hearing will include virtual participation options through Zoom with registration available on the county website once details are finalized.
The appeal represents the final stage in what has been a closely watched land-use decision. The Coffin Butte Landfill expansion has drawn significant public attention as the county weighs the application’s environmental, economic and community impacts.
County officials reminded interested parties that ex parte communication rules remain in effect, prohibiting direct contact with commissioners about the case outside of formal proceedings. Written testimony should be submitted to landfillappeals@bentoncountyor.gov or through other channels listed on the county website.
Those seeking more information about the upcoming hearing or instructions for submitting testimony can visit bentoncountyor.gov/coffin-butte-landfill or register as an interested party on the county’s website.
The county said that the commissioners’ decision on the appeal will be final to conclude a process that began when Republic Services first submitted its expansion application to the county planning division.