It appears a dispute over the construction of Peoria's next landfill could head to court.
The Peoria County State's Attorney's Office served a breach of contract notice to GFL Environmental on Friday after repeated attempts by the city and county to get the company to move forward with construction after the state's concerns about an abandoned mine under the property were alleviated.
So far, Civil Chief Assistant State's Attorney Jennie Cordis Boswell said she's heard no response from the company. County administrator Scott Sorrel outlined the dispute and options to the county health committee on Tuesday.
"Part of my comments to you today are to prepare you to follow through with alternate options if we don't receive any resolution with GFL. And also to prepare ourselves that, in Jennie's words, litigation is all but inevitable," he said.
Boswell said there's no deadline for GFL to respond, but the breach of contract notice must be served 15 days before it can go to court.
"We gave that notice and anticipate that we'll file the lawsuit then accordingly," she said.
The county would need to amend ordinances to transfer siting authority for the new landfill to another entity.
Boswell says GFL's strategy appears to be delaying and stalling. The current Landfill 2 is anticipated to hit capacity later this year, though county administrator Scott Sorrel said Waste Management may be able to eke a little extra life out of it if their annual payments to the landfill committee, city, and county for minimum waste levels are waived.
Sorrel said among other actions, the landfill committee would have to take up an amendment to the existing contract. An engineering firm would be needed to authorize the investigation and design of a new transfer station, expansion of Landfill 1 (which closed 30 years ago) and a new siting for Landfill 3 as potential options to add a little extra life to the existing landfill.
The future of the landfill will be a multifaceted discussion over the next several months involving the city of Peoria, Peoria County, and the landfill committee, all of whom have skin in the game.
The landfill committee is set to meet Wednesday at 3 p.m. at Peoria City Hall.
