Nashville councilman pushing landfill bill has tie to landfill owner

Nashville councilman pushing landfill bill has tie to landfill owner,  reports The Tennessean. Councilman Nick Leonardo who is the sponsor of the pending landfill bill says he has no conflict of interest and that he has been upfront about his previous legal work for landfill owner Odell Binkley. He says he does not stand to profit from the landfill legislation.

The bill which is on third and final reading tonight, May 3rd, would change the way landfills are permitted from the current method to a method approved by the State known as the "Jackson Law."  In some ways the Jackson law provides more protection for the public in that it requires more notification and it requires new landfills be approved  by an ordinance which requires three reading rather than the current process of simply approving by a one-reading resolution.  On the other hand, the Jackson Law gives a rejected applicant for a landfill a greater opportunity for getting a denial overturned in Chancery Court.

For those who really want to understand this issue, you can watch the Council work study session on the Jackson law at this link. 

Top Stories