DNR letter pushes Franklin City landfill expansion into longer, costlier process; committee to send unified response

The Franklin City Waste Management Monitoring Committee heard on Monday that the state Department of Natural Resources (DNR) has insisted the city submit a feasibility study together with a wetland IP — a combined submission the committee and its contractor say is not the usual sequence and could add significant time and cost to a planned landfill expansion.

Unidentified Speaker (waste management representative) summarized the DNR position: “they're still pushing that we just spent feasibility report side by side with the wetland IP,” and warned that submitting both at once risks repeated redesign and rejection cycles that could extend the project timeline “months of net years.” The representative said a response letter from DNR arrived recently and that Waste Management has been working with consultants to develop tactical responses.

Why it matters: The combined requirement changes the technical workflow. Committee members said that instead of a sequential approval — wetland IP to establish the allowable footprint, then feasibility design — the joint submission means staff and consultants may spend money on plans that the DNR could require be reworked to meet a footprint the agency has not yet defined. Committee members warned this would raise costs and delay the expansion timeline.

Committee reaction and next steps: Members asked staff to circulate the DNR letter to the whole committee and to add the names of all supporting municipalities to the draft response so Franklin City presents a unified front. Unidentified Speaker (committee member) said the draft should go to the city attorney (Jesse Cookville) for legal language and suggested adding “whereases” and formal resolution language to make the response stronger.

The committee also requested technical backup: the contractor said the project has a hired consultant who performed wetland delineation and agreed to provide that report and, if possible, a signed expert statement to append to the response. Members asked that this material be sent to Jesse for review and that the final letter list participating municipalities (Town of Norway, Raymond, Racine County and others) in support of the expansion.

No new formal motion was recorded during the meeting to send the revised draft; committee members said the draft had been authorized at a prior meeting and agreed to finalize additions, circulate to legal staff, and forward the package to DNR once reviewed.

The committee also discussed the DNR argument that neighboring landfills (Emerald Park and Orchard Ridge) have remaining capacity. Members rejected the idea that available capacity nearby forecloses Franklin City’s expansion, noting trucking cost, local capacity risk, and the possibility those landfills could fill in the future.

What’s next: Staff committed to provide the DNR letter and consultant documentation to committee members within days, and to coordinate with Jesse Cookville on the legal review and finalizing the draft to send to DNR.

The committee is scheduled to revisit the matter after the legal and technical materials are assembled; a construction timetable was discussed elsewhere in the meeting.