District 11 Neighbors –

Sharing updates on a few timely updates in this blog post, including:

• Committee Leadership Elections
• Dane County Landfill Re-Siting and Proposed Sustainability Campus
• In Support of Women’s Health

The County Board intends to resume in-person hybrid meetings in June when the City County Building re-opens, and will meet in person for the first time on June 2, at the Alliant Energy Center. As always, please reach out if you’d like to connect on an issue or share ideas. Thank you,

Richelle Andrae

Dane County Board Supervisor District 11

Andrae.richelle@countyofdane.com

Committee Leadership Elections

This week, I was honored to be elected as the Chair of Dane County’s Public Protection & Judiciary (PP&J) Committee. PP&J is the Committee with budgetary oversight for the Dane County Sheriff’s Office, District Attorney’s Office, 911 Center, Medical Examiner, Pre-trial Services, and Corporation Counsel. Sup. Anthony Gray was elected Vice-Chair, and I will serve on the Committee with returning Sups. Eicher and Weigand, and newly elected Sups. Pellebon, Rose, and Kigeya. We are a unique Committee in that we maintain budget authority, but also work with other constitutionally elected officers, including the Sheriff, DA, and Clerk of Courts. With 5 new Committee members, including individuals with significant expertise and perspective on justice issues, we have an opportunity to think and act creatively, forge new partnerships, and work more closely with community partners.

I do not take this commitment lightly, nor do I underestimate the necessary pressure we are under to lead on tangible justice system reforms and challenge the status quo. My priorities are identifying practical, sustainable solutions to address the upstream causes of violence and crime, and focusing on rehabilitation while balancing public safety. I propose that our Committee work hand-in-hand with the Criminal Justice Council and Human Services to identify effective alternatives for work release programs (see recent coverage in the State Journal), explore options for weekend court, and continue to invest in programs that facilitate community re-entry following arrest.

Last week, the Committee also heard from community members regarding the arrest and detention of Jessica Williams, a local activist with Freedom, Inc. As I continue to learn more, I invite you to do the same (articles here from Tone Madison and here from the Cap Times). The Wisconsin ACLU is investigating.   

Dane County includes 7 standing Committees; each Supervisor serves on one Committee (plus one Supervisor from each Committee serves on the Executive Committee). Colleagues elected as Committee Chairs include Sup. Doyle (Personnel & Finance – oversight over County staffing), Sup. Ripp (Public Works & Transportation – building projects), Sup. Kiefer (Zoning), Sup. Wegleitner (Health & Human Needs – health, family, and social services), and Sup. Chawla (Environment, Agriculture, and Natural Resources – land issues, conservation, water regulation), and Chair Miles for the Executive Committee. If you need a connection to any Committee Chair, please reach out and I’m happy to help.

Members of the public may also share their expertise by serving on Boards and Commissions, which are appointed by the County Executive. See additional details here: https://exec.countyofdane.com/boards-and-commissions.  

Dane County Landfill

Dane County is in the final stages of identifying options for the County landfill, which is nearing the end of its life. Moving waste outside the county is not an option, it would be prohibitively expensive for taxpayers and work against our environmental goals to transport trash to another county. Of course, our shared goals also include reducing the amount of trash that ends up in the landfill through reducing and reusing.

The Department of Waste & Renewables evaluated several locations over the last year, and is proposing a Sustainability Campus across from the current landfill Highway 12/18, just east of I-90. This would include purchasing land from the City of Madison that is currently part of the Yahara Golf Course, and repurposing it for both landfill space and additional uses such as a potential bio-digester, educational resources, and more. Learn about the proposal here on the Dane County Waste & Renewables page. Media coverage is here, and the County Board will take action on the landfill this week. The project will still need to go through several rounds of approvals and studies through the state DNR.

Excerpts from a memo provided by John Welch, Waste & Renewables Director, are at the end of this post. There is contention regarding the re-siting, especially from local neighbors who are requesting a delay and re-evaluation. I believe that the memo addresses several issues that have been raised. We will have to continue to learn and work together if the project moves forward.  

In Support of Women’s Health

With the expected impending decision to overturn federal protections for abortion access, I appreciate the leadership of my colleagues in drafting a resolution to re-assert the County’s position in support of access to abortion care. I am a proud sponsor of Resolution-024, and strongly assert that abortion is not only a women’s health issue, but a justice and equity issue. If Roe is overturned, it will be women with means and resources who can travel across state lines for the health care they need and deserve. Read more from the Wisconsin Alliance for Women’s Health about the 1849 legislation in Wisconsin that would go into effect if Roe is overturned.

Additional Details Re: Landfill Re-siting from Director Welch (Memo Provided 5/13/22)

Why is this project needed? The Dane County Department of Waste & Renewables provides waste management services to Dane County communities and businesses. In short, the Department manages the landfill that accepts the garbage that you and I take to the curb each week, and we strive to do it in the most environmentally responsible manner. In addition to the landfill, we provide several other services, including: household hazardous waste disposal; construction and demolition material recycling; wood recycling; bicycle rescue; tire recycling; shingle recycling; the Trash Lab mobile classroom; and a renewable natural gas facility, which converts landfill gas into renewable vehicle fuel. Several of these programs have been recognized at the local, state, and national level. Unfortunately, the current landfill is filling up. We only have approximately 9 years of life left at the current site, and it takes approximately 7-10 years to permit a new landfill. If we fail to site a new landfill, Dane County communities will face increased waste management costs associated with trucking their waste to a landfill outside of the county. Additionally, trucking all of the county’s waste to neighboring communities would come with negative social, environmental, and economic impacts. It would shift the burden of our waste to another community and cost money and emit greenhouse gases to transport the waste.

Why this site? This new site has the potential to serve Dane County’s waste needs for several decades, and we see this as an opportunity to reimagine local waste and recycling systems. Rather than just building a landfill, we are proposing to create opportunities to move toward a local circular economy, with a sustainable business park as part of the campus. The agreements in this Resolution set forth a path for County and City staff to work together to achieve this. We will create a location to attract and encourage businesses and programs to divert waste for reuse and recycling. This could include programs such as mattress recycling; resale, or upcycling opportunities; food waste composting; and many other possibilities. There are very few sites in Dane County that would meet the infrastructure requirements of a sustainable business park (sewer, water, electric, natural gas, fiber, haul routes, etc) and the environmental criteria of a landfill (geology, hydrology, proximity to private wells, land topography, etc). Another significant advantage to this location is the proximity to the existing landfill and infrastructure. Although the current landfill will close, existing recycling and renewable natural gas infrastructure will continue to operate and complement and support the proposed Sustainability Campus project. With the construction of Dane County’s large scale solar project near Dane County’s East District Campus this area can be a model for sustainability, with the Campus as a hub for education and community outreach. With the proposed Campus’s proximity to our existing facility, we will continue to share many of the same neighbors, including the Ho-Chunk Gaming Madison Facility. We are proud to have the support of Ho-Chunk Gaming Madison and Marlon White Eagle, President of the Ho-Chunk Nation of Wisconsin, on this project. All of these factors make Yahara an ideal site. We realize this plan will bring the future landfill approximately1/8th of a mile closer to some of the neighborhoods in McFarland and Madison. For over 35 years, we have worked hard to be the best neighbors possible, listening to concerns and making adjustments to our operations when possible. This is a responsibility that we take seriously, and we will continue to do everything possible to limit our impacts.

Community Engagement Dane County has made extraordinary efforts to engage with our neighbors and the community on the proposed Sustainability Campus and landfill. Although this project was initially discussed at several public meetings in 2020 and 2021, it was publicly rolled out with a press release from the Dane County Executive on November 3, 2021. Since that press release over 6 months ago, the County has gone above and beyond to notify neighbors of this project, to provide information, and to give ample opportunities for residents to have their voices heard and raise their concerns. Our outreach efforts have included two press releases, nine articles from local news organizations prior to last week, three public information and question sessions with neighbors, postcard mailers to over 550 homes, two tours of the current landfill for neighbors, and eleven publicly noticed City or County committee meetings. We have also created a website for this project to further share information with residents. This website provides general information on the project, answers to frequently asked questions, information on upcoming meetings, and recordings of past meetings. These past meeting recordings include over 8.5 hours of presentations and Q&A sessions that we held with residents in the community.

Additional Information In recent days, my staff and I have seen and heard some statements which we believe to be inaccurate, whether intentional or not. There were also some accurate statements, which deserve a response. I would like to take this time to address some of the statements. I have put the original statement in italics, followed by additional information I am providing now. - Statement: This landfill design is experimental or untested. Some of the sustainability business park elements are indeed novel ideas, but nothing could be further from the truth when it comes to the landfill design. This landfill will be designed to the same standards of every landfill in Wisconsin, per State statute and WDNR code. - Statement: The proposed landfill will be 4/5th of a mile from the closest edge of the Secret Places neighborhood. Landfills are never placed this close to residential areas. While it is less common, there are many landfills located near residential areas. For example, The City of Janesville landfill is 1/6th of a mile from a large residential area. While not as densely populated, the closest neighbors at our current landfill are 220 feet from the edge of waste. I would also like to point out that the distance from Secret Places to the proposed landfill is similar to the distance from Secret Places to the existing landfill. In fact, if waste filling starts in the northeast portion of the Yahara site, the new landfill will be further away from Secret Places than the existing landfill for many years. - Statement: There are concerns about traffic, private water wells, odor control, and neighbor compensation. These questions have been addressed several times. Answers can be found on our project website, under the FAQ section and on recordings of the public information sessions. Some of the specific questions on these topics cannot be answered until the process is further along and more information is gathered. Please remember that purchasing the land is the first step in a multi-year permitting process. We are unable to complete many of the next steps and provide additional information without purchasing the land. - Statement: The school district owns 9 acres of vacant land southeast of the propose site. The County did not engage with the school district. It is true that we had not formally engaged with the school district prior to this week, and I admit that was an oversight on my part. We have since met with representatives from the school district, and we look forward to continuing our discussions. We had sent the district a postcard invitation to our April 21, 2022 public information session. Someone from their administration indicated they were aware of that meeting in advance, but they were unable to have a representative attend. - Statement: The landfill is seeping into a neighboring property. This is not true. There are dozens of monitoring points surrounding the perimeter of the landfill. These are monitored by a consultant on a quarterly basis, and the results are reported to the WDNR. I am not aware of any monitoring results indicating impacts from the current landfill on neighboring properties since it opened in 1985. Additionally, we test the private drinking well of the property in question (and several other private wells) on a quarterly basis. Those test results have not shown evidence of impacts from the landfill. Upon learning of this claim, our staff immediately investigated, and we have concluded there is no such issue occurring. - Statement: Dane County is not honoring the existing Local Negotiated Agreement (LNA). Some residents are not receiving the compensation or other protections agreed to in the LNA. Dane County has met all of its obligations to all residents eligible for compensation or other guarantees under the current Local Negotiated Agreement. This year’s compensation checks were sent out the first week in April, as they typically are.

If 2021 RES-440 is approved, is this project guaranteed? No. The purchase of this land would certainly be a very important step in the process, but it is just the first step in a 7-10 year permitting and development process. Many of the next steps cannot be completed if the County does not own the land. The next steps are necessary to gather more information so we can better answer some of the more specific questions residents have. For example, neighbors have specific questions about potential neighbor compensation, property value guarantees, Page | 5 and truck hauling routes. These are items which are addressed under the Local Negotiated Agreement process. The procedures for the LNA are prescribed in State Statute, and they cannot begin until the footprint of the first active area of the landfill is determined. Additionally, the agreements in 2021 RES 440 include provisions that allow the City to purchase the golf course land back if the LNA process and development of the site as a Sustainability Campus and landfill is not successful for any reason. I ask that you do not delay this project at this late stage in the approval process. It is understandable that citizens closest to the proposed site would have concerns. I believe we have provided citizens with ample opportunity for public engagement over the last six months, both through public information and listening sessions and through the normal public committee approval process. Furthermore, the engagement and outreach does not stop next week. We will continue to work with our neighbors to build trust and mitigate their concerns as this project progresses. Delaying the project at this time will not give concerned citizens more information or answers than what has already been provided. It will actually delay the necessary information gathering steps.