Ojai Asks Supervisors to Research Impact of Weldon Dump Proposal : Environment: City Manager Andy Belknap says county should conduct a 30-day analysis of the ballot initiative before taking any action.

Before Ventura County voters decide if a dump should be built in Weldon Canyon, county supervisors should first study the environmental and economic impact of a proposed March ballot initiative and then hold a public hearing to discuss the findings.

That is the recommendation being made by the city of Ojai in a letter sent to supervisors this week. The board is scheduled to discuss the Weldon Canyon ballot initiative at its Nov. 7 meeting.

Taconic Resources, the San Diego firm behind the dump initiative, has already collected the 22,000 voter signatures required to qualify its measure for the March 26 ballot. So the supervisors, a majority of whom have snubbed the landfill proposal, must either adopt the initiative as law or put the question to the voters.

But Ojai City Manager Andy Belknap said that the county has the option of conducting a 30-day analysis of the initiative before taking any action. He said the analysis would be beneficial because it could evaluate the impacts the landfill measure could have on the county if it passes.

He said some specific issues that should be examined include what regulatory control the county would have over the dump, the project’s effect on local recycling programs and the potential for the landfill operator to import trash.

“There’s some concern that trash will be imported from outside the area,” Belknap said. “We believe there is a strong possibility of that.”

Belknap said a public hearing on the analysis’ findings would also be helpful because it would provide an opportunity to publicize the adverse impacts of the project.

He said this is important because Taconic Resources is spending hundreds of thousands of dollars in its campaign to persuade voters to support its ballot measure.

Belknap said the cities of Ojai and Ventura, both of which are in close proximity to the proposed dump site in the west county, are prohibited from using taxpayer money to finance their own campaigns against the landfill initiative.

Richard Chase, general partner of Taconic Resources, said his firm has no objections to Ojai’s request.

“If it’s truly an objective analysis of the environmental and economic impacts, then we would welcome it,” he said.

Although the ballot initiative does not include language prohibiting the importation of trash, Chase said that Taconic would be willing to agree to such an exclusion in writing.

“We would be willing to sign a binding-legal commitment with the county specifying that we would not import trash,” Chase said. “That is really not our intent or objective.”

Board Chairwoman Maggie Kildee, who opposes a Weldon Canyon landfill, said that she believes Ojai’s request for an analysis and a public hearing on the proposed dump would be beneficial to the public.

“The more information we can get to voters, the better off we’ll be,” Kildee said.