The petitioner for a new waste transfer station in Otto has withdrawn his application after months of back-and-forth from the Jefferson County Planning and Zoning Commission and Jefferson County Council.
Kevin Duggins applied in May for a zone change for his 8-acre property off Old Hwy. 21 to allow for the development of a waste transfer facility called Jeff County Industrial Court. The site would be used for the temporary holding of household and construction waste, with Duggins saying all trash would be hauled off the property by the end of each working day.
The P & Z commission recommended denial of his application to the County Council, citing concerns from several nearby residents that the facility may lead to vermin issues, loss of property value, pollution and increased odors.
However, the council seemed to disagree with the commission’s recommendation, and on June 9, Councilman Billy Crow (District 2, Arnold) called on the council to approve the petition with added conditions, such as mandating that deodorizing sprinklers be installed in the facility and reducing operational hours.
Then, on June 23, the council reversed course, with Councilman Charles Groeteke (District 4, Barnhart) making a motion to deny the petition and add it to the July 14 regular meeting agenda for denial.
Duggins withdrew his application before the council could hold the final vote on the matter.
Groeteke said the county’s current code on solid waste transportation and management “leaves much to be desired” and should be updated before a business like the one Duggins is proposing is allowed.
Councilman Bob Tullock (District 7, House Springs) attempted to take the first steps to change the county’s code on solid waste on July 14 but was rebuffed by other council members. He made a motion to incorporate environmental protection standards for waste transfer stations, including a minimum 1-mile buffer zone from residential and retail areas, but it failed by a vote of 3-4.
The motion, if approved, would have asked county staff to draft legislation to change the county’s codes, called the unified development order (UDO). Amending the UDO requires a public hearing at a P&Z meeting and approval from the council. Council members Groeteke, Tullock and Tim Brown (District 6, De Soto) voted in favor, and Crow, Brian Haskins (District 1, High Ridge), Lori Arons (District 3, Imperial) and Scott Seek (District 5, Festus) voted against the measure.
Seek questioned the necessity of making a change to the county’s codes now, when the council will soon vote to approve a new master plan, suggesting the council wait until after that to make more sweeping changes to the UDO.
Tullock said he believed it would be beneficial for the staff to know the council’s wishes for the amended UDO before the sweeping changes are proposed, saving them time and effort.
County Executive Dennis Gannon suggested the council discuss the UDO changes in a work session instead, where they could speak with county staff and ask for opinions and hash out plans without a formal voting process.
“We’re not in rush mode right now,” Gannon said. “We haven’t even passed the darn master plan yet.
“I think it would be wise to talk through everybody’s opinion in the work session. I’m not sure, I think sometimes we overthink this stuff.”