Give the Buckingham County Board of Supervisors credit. The board got it right last week.

A tip of the hat, as well, to county administrator Rebecca Carter, who was not in attendance for the board’s December meeting when supervisors voted, 4-3, to close four unmanned solid waste disposal sites in February. Last week Ms. Carter made the recommendation to keep all four of the county’s unmanned sites open. Supervisors agreed unanimously.

But that’s not the end of the story. Nor should it be the final chapter. Buckingham County has much work and strategic planning to complete as it comprehensively addresses solid waste disposal in the county. And that work is going to be done.

Last week’s action also included tasking the board’s utilities committee to work with the County planning department to update Buckingham’s solid waste management plan, a big job that must be completed and sent to the state in September.

The update must demonstrate, the Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) informed the County, Buckingham’s plan for solid waste management and recycling over the next 20 years.

The supervisors’ committee, Carter wrote in a January 13 letter to the board, “will be tasked with meeting all of the requirements set forth by DEQ and to bring back to the board of supervisors recommendations for solid waste management, not only as part of this mandatory plan, but also public comment and input.”

Public comment.

And public input.

Public comment and input will be key ingredients in any long-term plan for solid waste disposal and recycling.

Particularly in terms of public buy-in to the plan. And solid waste disposal is something that affects county residents on a daily basis. The solid waste sites, manned or unmanned, are the most frequent point of contact Buckingham residents, or residents anywhere, have with local government. Solid waste disposal is the one service that everyone needs.

Carter told supervisors during last week’s meeting, “I think that before we do this, public input would be needed. We’ll have to have a public hearing. So the public would have an opportunity to speak out on what the County’s plans would be as far as taking care of the solid waste. I think that would be a good thing.”

She thinks correctly.

Carter said “I think one of the goals should be to provide this service as convenient as possible to all citizens of the county.”

District Two Supervisor Donnie Bryan, who is the board’s new chairman, said he wanted to see more than one public hearing held on the solid waste management plan. He suggested that work sessions be scheduled to gather community input.

Developing a 20-year plan is a huge challenge but one that Buckingham, with County officials and county residents working together, is well equipped to meet.

—JKW—