County officials and the good people of Cumberland deserve to know what Republic services is going to do next with the property once slated for a now defunct landfill, along with resolution on the community host agreement.

“Cumberland County has not kicked the landfill out,” District Three Supervisor and Board Chairman Kevin Ingle told Herald reporter Brian Klingenfus, who’s been following this story. “We have not done away with their business. We have not told them they can’t operate. Everyone is looking at us saying we’ve run (Republic) off. We have not run them off. The land and the host agreement is still there. Their decisions, as far as whether they want to be here or not, is totally up to them. …”

Without delay, Republic Services, the firm which proposed the landfill several years ago, should communicate to the county and its citizens what it’s going to do in relation to the host agreement.

The Herald has been attempting to interview Republic Services for more than three weeks. We’ve had no luck.

In 2006, Republic entered the 20-year host community agreement with Cumberland, allowing the firm to construct the landfill within the county. The agreement includes annual payments of $500,000 from the firm to the county and a $2.5 million payment as a liquidated damages fee if the company desires to terminate the host community agreement.

I urge county supervisors to press for an answer for the people of Cumberland.