Decatur County Board of Zoning Appeals

The Decatur County Board of Zoning Appeals met on Wednesday.

Mark Fixmer of BEX Farms requested a special exception in an I-2 zoning classification to operate a landfill of approximately 48.4 acres more or less. The audience was able to speak on the request. Jean Johannigman warned of the danger of PFAS that is found in items such as clothing, pizza boxes, and almost every other item that ends of up in the landfill. She named PFAS a forger chemical and asked that the board thinks of the safety of the community before approving. She also warned that leachate being on the property jeopardizes the aquifer. Dave Nobbe asked why for a hog farm it was necessary to have a drawing and detailed measurements before an approval was made while it seemed for this it was not. It was explained that this project needed to be approved on a county level before going through IDEM which would then provide an official drawing. Nobbe also asked if asbestos and lead paint were allowed to be disposed of at the landfill. Fixmer explained that yes they are accepted however there are special requirements for both the approval and disposal.

A letter from a county member with questions was read. Some of the questions included Will the county help pay for testing, how and when PFAS will be tested, and should there be a higher out of county trash tax. There was a question on what happened with the tipping fees on garbage once collected. It was said that the money went back into the county from Solid Waste. There was also discussion on the amount of trash being brought in from out of county, which is 75%.

The board then asked a question of their own to Mark Fixmer. It has been believed in the community that the proper dirt cover does a better job than the alternate. Fixmer says they have confidence in the alternate however some days are worse than others. The board thanked all participants in the meeting for the run formation given.

The board tabled the vote. They felt they did not have enough information to make a valid decision and would like to do more research of their own.

Morgan Schofield
WTRE News
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