Confusion from tornadoes that struck last fall has prompted the county to develop a plan for managing
leftover debris.
Speaking at a Wood County Township Association meeting Friday, Perrysburg Township trustee Gary Britten
expressed sustained disappointment to county commissioners over landfill bills the township received
after two tornadoes struck Nov. 19.
Britten said cities and townships should not have been billed around $300 for taking in refuse,
suggesting residents were told that those entities would remove debris if it was placed near the roadway
in public right of way.
"If a tree falls in the road, we’ve got to go clean it up. If that tree falls in a yard and you push
it out into the road, guess what? We shouldn’t be responsible for that," Britten said.
"Something’s wrong with this picture," he said, suggesting the landfill should be offered
following major storms in the same way townships offer spring roadside pickup and when ditches are
cleaned.
Commissioner Doris Herringshaw explained that while the landfill is overseen by county commissioners, it
has its own line-item in the budget and is to be operated as a self-sustaining business. Further, many
of the charges levied to landfill users are necessary because of several different fees assessed to the
landfill by other agencies, she said.
"We’re trying to be really logical about it, because if we say every time you have a storm you get
to take everything to the landfill, everybody will tell us ‘It was a storm, we’re taking everything to
the landfill’ and we will be bankrupt very quickly at the landfill," Herringshaw said, noting that
waived fees would put the landfill in a hole while still making payments on those materials.
Herringshaw and commissioner Jim Carter said a plan is being developed for managing debris the next time
around.
Britten pushed for expediency, saying tornado season for this year is already near.
"We can’t change what’s in the past, but we can fix it going forward," he said.