Public Works Committee pushes back reforms to sub-committee
By Andrew Harris, pictured is the Wellsville Transfer Station
Last month we reported on proposed changes to how Allegany County’s solid waste permitting process after a presentation to the Legislature by Public Works Superintendent Tom Windus. During that presentation, Windus asked county lawmakers to approve new commercial and residential permit guidelines and fees.
Essentially, the proposal intended to put controls on commercial permits to stop overwhelming a system built for residential use. Those new rules would dictate who gets a permit to dump, how much can be dumped per day, and how it would be paid for. The residential permits would shift to a punch card system, allowing residents to prepay for trips to the dump in 10 or 40 visit increments. You can read our reporting on the additional details below:
Reaction to the proposed changes varied, but brought serious concerns from commercial waste disposal operations who said it would effectively put them out of business. Others were concerned of increased littering, back road dumping, and more trash accumulating in residential areas.
At a February 4 meeting of the Public Works committee Windus made it clear the the proposal was not moving forward in 2026 and that the solid waste regulations would stay the same until at least 2027.
Committee Chair Kevin “Fred” Demick stated that the discussion was being moved to Solid Waste Advisory Board to continue discussion with local commercial haulers who have come forward.
