Solid waste board looks for further meetings with Bessemer

IRONWOOD — The Gogebic Range Solid Waste Management Authority board decided Thursday to make another effort to meet with the city of Bessemer to reach a resolution to the city’s exit from the authority.

The decision came after Bessemer representatives were unable to make Thursday’s meeting and, according to documents provided at the meeting, requested a meeting some time in September.

Bessemer’s city council voted to leave the authority at its March 16 meeting.

At issue in the dispute between the city and authority is a disagreement regarding whether the city should be responsible for its portion of the debt incurred by the authority.

According to Shane Ellison, an outside accountant hired by the authority to calculate Bessemer’s share of the debt, the city owes $88,811. City attorney Michael Korpela called this figure a “a non-starter” in a letter to the authority.

Following the authority’s decision to attempt to schedule a meeting between representatives of both parties, the authority also voted to delay acting on Bessemer’s failure to contribute to the authority’s bond payment that was due on Aug. 1.

With the failure of Bessemer to contribute its portion of the $2,968 bond payment — Bessemer’s 25 percent equated to roughly $730, according to authority administrator Chris Ann Bressette — the authority had two basic options, according to Michael Pope, the authority’s attorney.

The first option was to begin litigation, forcing Bessemer to make its payment, Pope told the authority at its July meeting, with the other option being to report Bessemer to the Michigan Treasury. The second option, Pope explained, would then cause state officials to examine everything and require the appropriate funds go toward the bond payment through the seizure of tax revenue.

However, given the renewed willingness for both sides to meet and attempt to reach a resolution, Pope said Thursday that following either of the options would be counterproductive toward the goal of reaching an agreement.

“But obviously if you advance the recourse of reporting this per paragraph 12 (of the financing contract), I don’t know if your previous motion is of any effect then because they are not going to meet with us. (Once reported), you kind of set the stage and things are going to go where they are,” Pope said.

“It’s my opinion that even though you have an obligation to report, in light of the fact that you are still engaging in discussions with them to try and resolve the issue, then its OK for you not to report at this particular time.

“... I think in light of the fact that they are willing to sit down and meet again, you guys want to meet with them again, that we shouldn’t adhere to the strict language of the financing contract.”

Pope added the payment was made — Bessemer simply didn’t contribute — so it wasn’t like the authority was failing to report a non-payment.

The board also discussed several points that should be brought up with the city, including what the city feels it owes.

In other action:

—The authority tabled renewing Bressette’s contract until copies of the updated contract could be made available for board members to review.

—It directed Bressette to research the cost to purchase “roll-off” truck and accompanying Dumpsters.

Any purchase of the equipment would partially be funded through grants the authority obtained for infrastructure purchases.