Declining Walker County landfill bid, Commissioner Bebe Heiskell keeps political fight going

LAFAYETTE, Ga. - After its potential sale died, Walker County's landfill remained a political issue for this year's election.

Commissioner Bebe Heiskell announced Monday she declined her only offer for the landfill: $1.7 million from Santek Waste Services, plus $1 for every ton of waste brought to the site. The landfill has lost an average of $535,000 a year since 2011.

Her two challengers in the commissioner race, Perry Lamb and Shannon Whitfield, have criticized her for the losses, saying county employees have not properly managed the landfill. The dump on Marbletop Road in Chickamauga only handles construction and demolition waste - basically, trash that does not rot.

Regular household garbage can be dropped off at the site, where trucks will haul it away to another landfill.

Heiskell said in a statement that Santek's offer did not meet the county's requirements. She did not respond to a message asking what was wrong with Santek's bid, but in her statement she added that she still intends to sell the landfill.

"It has always been a principal [sic] of the Republican party to support the efforts of private enterprise to take over and provide such services when and if it becomes economically feasible," she said. "It has always been our belief that when feasible, private enterprise can more economically provide needed services."

On Tuesday, Lamb and Whitfield said declining Santek's offer was the correct decision. Whitfield said the county should not accept any bid under $10 million. If elected, he believes he can lead the landfill to profitability.

He pointed to the Catoosa County landfill. It has two sites that are both shut down, costing Catoosa County about $400,000 per year for environmental monitoring. But a methane gas-to-electricity operation on the landfill helps offset some costs. Whitfield added that Catoosa County also leases its landfill sites as transfer stations where people can drop off garbage.

Catoosa County Chief Financial Officer Carl Henson did not return multiple calls asking how much the county made from its landfill operations.

Lamb also believes the county can make money off the landfill, though he doesn't know the best way to turn it around because he believes no information is available about how it's really performing.

"You've got to look and see," Lamb said. "Can it be made at least a break-even deal for the county? I really don't think the best thing to do is give it to a private company."

Heiskell has speculated the county could turn a profit, but she said, "I haven't tried to make a lot of money on it. I'm sure it can be done."

She hasn't said what price she'd accept for the site. Though she said at a June 30 meeting she had received an appraisal, she didn't know what it said.

"I don't have (the information)," she said. "It's with the documents."

Walker County Attorney Don Oliver said releasing the appraisal would cost the county a competitive advantage.

"We certainly would not tell what the appraisal was," he said. "That would allow folks to bid to that instead of maybe getting a higher bid."

Then, during a July 14 meeting, Heiskell said she had been mistaken; the county can't get an appraisal on the property. Terry Toole, the county's landfill consultant, said appraisals don't work with landfills because every space is valued differently. But he added that, essentially, the value can be determined by air space.

He said one cubic yard is worth up to $12-$18. The county has plans to expand the landfill to about 1 million cubic yards of air space. The math would put the value of the landfill at $12 million to $18 million, though Toole later said his estimate might be a little high.

Lamb and Whitfield criticize Heiskell for rushing to sell the landfill before the election. Heiskell said she needs to unload the operation, in case she loses her re-election bid.

During the June 30 meeting, in an ominous fashion, she hinted that the previous County Commissioner Buddy Chapman would run the landfill if she loses her re-election bid.

"The same people are going to be running it that ran if before. That's what I heard. And he's out here telling it to everybody: He's going to be running it again," she said.

Chapman said Tuesday that in 1998, about 1 1/2 years after he took office, he had to close the county's household-garbage landfill because the permit had expired.

His administration began building a landfill to handle all types of nonhazardous solid waste. After defeating Chapman in the election, Heiskell chose to build the more limited landfill in use now.

Heiskell didn't return messages asking for the name of who she thought would run the landfill, but Chapman believes she was talking about him.

He said he is campaigning for Whitfield but does not want a county job if Whitfield gets elected.

He said he didn't know of any problems that his administration caused for Heiskell.

"It's just a bunch of lies," he said.

Contact staff writer Tyler Jett at 423-757-6476 or tjett@timesfreepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @LetsJett.

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