A bill that would fundamentally change the way Louisville Metro manages solid waste is set for passage in the Kentucky House of Representatives this week. City officials worry the bill is meant to roll back Louisville鈥檚 environmental progress 鈥� like banning plastic leaf bags, for example 鈥� but the bill鈥檚 proponents argue the measure is a much-needed overhaul of the county鈥檚 waste management district.
If聽House Bill 246聽becomes law, it would mean Jefferson County鈥檚 waste management district wouldn鈥檛 have the power to require suburban cities to do anything more than comply with state and federal laws. This would effectively nullify the plastic bag ban in certain areas of Jefferson County.
The bill would get rid of the plastic bag ban 鈥� and all other waste department regulations 鈥� on August 31, 2017, unless reauthorized by the new board. It would also abolish Jefferson County鈥檚 waste management district, which is commonly referred to as the 109 Board. The board is made up of five representatives, all appointed by the mayor, and oversees waste in the district.
Under the provisions of the bill, the new 109 Board would have seven members, representing various areas of the county. They would still be appointed by the mayor, but Metro Council would have to approve the appointments. A similar bill was introduced last year, but didn鈥檛 pass either legislative body.
At a waste management meeting in Jeffersontown Monday night, attorney Schuyler Olt said the measure isn鈥檛 targeting the bag ban. Olt is the city attorney for four small cities: Jeffersontown, Seneca Gardens, Strathmoor Village and Parkway Village. 鈥淚 know that in all of my four cities I think that if we tried to get rid of paper bags and try to go back to the old way, we鈥檇 probably get lynched,鈥� he said. 鈥淏ecause it鈥檚 become a part of what we do.鈥�
Rather, Olt said the bill is about transparency. He said it鈥檚 nearly impossible to determine what the 109 Board is doing, and often meetings are cancelled because there鈥檚 no quorum. 鈥淚 don鈥檛 understand why the 109 Board has so long operated in the dark to where you can鈥檛 easily find out even who is on that board. And given the amount of power that it has, it鈥檚 not a good situation,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 think for what the 109 Board is charged to do, which is obviously very important to our well-being, our public health, we just have to have a more transparent, more involved, more engaged solid waste management board.鈥�
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