RAYMORE, Mo. — In a unanimous vote Tuesday, the Missouri House Local Government Committee voted to advance House Bill 909, to clarify existing statute (Section 260.205, RSMo) as it relates to solid waste disposal area permits in the Kansas City area and places a one-mile buffer between new landfills and their neighboring communities. During Tuesday’s hearing, representatives said heartfelt testimony, letters and phone calls from hundreds of Missourians proved broad support for the measure.
“We are grateful to the House Local Government Committee for advancing Rep. Haffner’s bill to protect our citizens and their homes. We hope the Rules Committee and the entire House will follow their lead and give local government the tools they need to protect their homes,” Cass County Associate Commissioner Ryan Johnson said.
The measure has received bipartisan support from legislators who oppose a landfill in southern Jackson County, located at the border with Cass County and across the street from the Raymore residential development of Creekmoor.
“It doesn’t make sense to build a landfill at this site because the area in southern Jackson County is zoned R-80 (low-residential),” said Rep. Mike Haffner (R-Pleasant Hill). “Any zoning changes would be in violation of existing statute (Section 260.205, RSMo) and would destroy the livelihoods of the families who have built homes in the area.”
Although the developer admits she’s considering a site in southern Jackson County for a new landfill, she has not contacted state or regional governmental agencies such as the Missouri Department of Natural Resources and the Mid-America Regional Council, nor has she taken other important steps to begin the formal process of development.
· No application has been filed for the landfill.
· The developer claims to represent an LLC that is not yet registered with the Secretary of State’s office.
· Kansas City, Missouri leaders say they’ve had no contact with the developer.
During the Local Government committee hearing earlier this month, developer Jennifer Monheiser testified that they’ve had “our engineers looking at multiple sites all over the region” for the new landfill.
“The developer has incorrectly stated that lawmakers should not change the rules in the middle of the game,” said Raymore Mayor Kris Turnbow. “However, that’s not accurate. ‘the game,’ in this case, hasn’t even started.”