Submitted by the League of Women Voters, a nonpartisan organization that encourages informed participation in government. The Observer Corps attends and takes notes at government meetings to expand public understanding of public policy and decisions. The notes do not necessarily reflect the views of the League or its members.
County Council members convened as the Lopez Solid Waste Disposal District governing body in a special meeting and approved the 2025 annual budget recommended by the LSWDD managing board by a vote of two in favor and one opposed. Council member Cindy Wolf said she intended to vote “No” on all measures to uphold the decision last year to extend the interlocal agreement between the LSWDD and the county for one year with no further extensions. They approved the budget with the understanding that it would be reopened in 2025 to account for the impact of the new interlocal agreement.
The governing body approved a resolution drafted at a Dec. 13 meeting by the LSWDD managing board to extend the existing interlocal agreement for another three months again in a 2-1 vote. Wolf voted against stating that the LSWDD managing board should have used the one-year extension to reach out to the community on Lopez and develop a plan to meet the challenges faced by the LSWDD to bring its operations into compliance with the County code.
The meeting was adjourned and Chair Jane Fuller then called to order a special meeting of the San Juan County Council to consider approving the LSWDD interlocal agreement extension, which was approved by the LSWDD governing body. During discussion Wolf stated that she would again vote no to put on the record her concerns about how this matter had been handled by the LSWDD in the hope of forcing an agreement where the district would not pay rent to the County, using misinformation on social media. Council member Christine Minney said she appreciated Wolf’s statement. Council member Fuller said that she regretted that there had been a lack of understanding of the County code and the responsibilities of all parties and the spreading of false information that the County sought to take over the LSWDD. The County remained ready to support the facility, and she was optimistic that the three-month extension could reset the relationship.
