SANTA ROSA (BCN) -- Plans to sell Sonoma County's Central Landfill and three transfer  stations and turn its waste disposal operations over to an Arizona company  for 20 years failed Tuesday afternoon with two supervisors voting against the  divestiture proposal.

The measure needed four votes to pass. The board had approved  going forward with the divestiture proposal with some modifications by a 5-0  straw vote in September.

On Tuesday, Supervisors Paul Kelley, Mike Kerns and Valerie Brown voted  for the purchase and sale agreement with Republic Services of Arizona.  First-year Supervisors Shirlee Zane and Efren Carrillo, who expressed  reservations despite voting for the plan in the straw vote, voted against  divestiture.

The vote means the county will continue to have its 270,000  annual tons of trash hauled by 65 trucks a day outside the county at least  until August when the waste transportation contracts expire.

The landfill near Cotati has not accepted trash since 2005 in part  because landfill gas leaked into underlying groundwater.

Board Chairman Paul Kelley said the county must now come up with  $11 million to close the landfill within three years.

Two-dozen speakers, including council members from Windsor and  Santa Rosa and Petaluma Mayor Pam Torliatt, were unanimously against the  agreement with Republic Services.

Opponents of the plan said the county's cities, which would have  to commit their solid waste flow to the landfill to make divestiture  feasible, were not party to the divestiture negotiations and process.

Speakers urged the county to retain public ownership of the  landfill, find the money to make environmental improvements and increase  recycling to reduce the waste going into the landfill.

Zane said the divestiture proposal was "inconsistent with our  strong environmental policy to maximize diversion (recycling) and minimize  our trash."

"This agreement doesn't have a constituency," Zane said. She said  Republic Services has a history of exceeding dumping limits elsewhere and of  environmental violations.

"We need a true public-private partnership. We're giving away our  ability to push for better than business as usual," she said.

Carrillo said the "basic financial structure of the divestiture  has some flaws" and the county should explore innovative disposal and  recycling technologies in partnership with nonprofit agencies.

Carrillo said the county also needs the support of its cities.

"We need to find a true collaborative way," Carrillo said.

Opponents of divestiture also said the county should lobby its  state representatives to keep the landfill open until money is found to make  the environmental improvements.

The county estimated it would cost $70 million for capital  improvements at the landfill.
           
(Copyright 2009, Bay City News, All rights reserved.)