The Benton County Board of Commissioners concluded two nights of testimony regarding an appeal of the Planning Commission’s decision to deny Republic Service’s proposal to expand the Coffin Butte Landfill.
Following Thursday’s hearing, the board opted to keep the written record open until 4 p.m. Oct. 29 for parties to submit responses to documents and evidence presented during the hearings.
Officials said that the responses must be submitted as hard copies to the Board of Commissioners at the Kalapuya Building, 4500 SW Research Way, Suite 100, Corvallis. Electronic submissions will not be accepted and materials received after the 4 p.m. deadline will be excluded from the record.
After the deadline for written responses, commissioners plan to deliberate and make a decision in a meeting that begins at 1 p.m. Nov. 4. A vote on the adoption of the final written decision is scheduled for the board’s Nov. 17 meeting at 9 a.m. Both of those meetings will take place at the Kalapuya Building. To access links to livestreams for the meetings, go online to the board’s meeting portal.
The county’s Planning Commission denied Republic Services’ application to expand the landfill in a decision adopted on July 29. The applicant filed an appeal of that decision on Aug. 12. Appeals of Planning Commission decisions are heard by the Board of Commissioners.
Wednesday’s hearing included presentations by planning staff and the applicant, testimony from expansion supporters and government representatives, and initial testimony from opponents. Thursday’s session featured additional opponent testimony and concluded with commissioners’ questions for the applicant’s written rebuttal.
Public records and hearing recordings are available on the county’s website and YouTube channel. Additional information can be found at bentoncountyor.gov/coffin-butte-landfill.