Mayor Jeffers, Citizens Clash Over Landfill Agreement
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Mayor Jeffers, Citizens Clash Over Landfill Agreement
Murphy asks to join Solid Waste Board as County Secures New Host Fee Deal
By Shane Gilreath
[email protected]
Photo by Shane Gilreath Scott County resident Bill Murphy, a former OSHA Director, addressed the Scott County Commissioners last week, asking to be put on the county’s Solid Waste Board. Murphy was one of several citizens who told SCN they were disappointed in the meeting’s tone.
Scott County will soon collect more money for every ton of trash dumped at the existing Volunteer Regional, but last week’s County Commission meeting revealed deep divisions in the community over waste management.
While the increase stems from a new 10 year host fee agreement that the Scott County Solid Waste Board (SCSWB) agreed to with Waste Connections, the parent company of Volunteer Regional, the fact that the community (and members of the press) were left in the dark regarding the meeting left some upset and disenfranchised. SCN, in fact, had made requests to receive meeting agendas to both County Mayor Jerried Jeffers and Winfield Mayor Jerry Dodson, who serves as chair of the SCSWB, but our requests have gone unanswered. In fact, SCSWB had already met on October 6, 2025, leaving both SCN and members of the public, deeply concerned over waste management operations, entirely in the dark. The state’s Sunshine Law, (TCA. 8-44-102 et seq) only requires “adequate public notice,” which Jeffers said had been met.
At that surreptitious meeting, SCSWB approved the agreement that raises the county’s per-ton payment from 85 cents to 90 cents in 2026, with small annual increases that will bring the rate to $1.14 by 2035 – a 34% jump over a decade. Jeffers called the deal a win for taxpayers. “We’ve used host fee money to fund our recycling center, employ local workers, and even help give county employees a 5.5% raise – all without raising property taxes,” he said. According to stats, the county took in $329,000 in landfill revenue last year, up from its typical $230,000, and Jeffers said that growth has been key to maintaining essential services.
But not everyone was convinced. At the onset, Oneida resident Jennifer Shockley asked commissioners to delay approving the minutes from the SCSWB meeting that would finalize the deal, arguing other Tennessee counties receive higher host fees. “Read through (the agreement) and make sure you know what you’re signing,” she urged commissioners. When Shockley and Kathy Obrusanszki, members of the citizens’ group Cumberland Clear, voiced opinions from the audience, tensions flared.
Jeffers repeatedly struck his gavel, raising his voice to tell Shockley and Obrusanszki that they were out of line, and threatened to have the citizens removed from the meeting. “This is not up for debate tonight,” he said sharply, reminding the crowd that the County Commission wasn’t voting on the agreement itself – only on the record of the Solid Waste Board’s actions.
It was not the only time Jeffers seemed angered by questions. When 2nd District Commission Joyce Keaton asked if a notice of the SCSWB meeting had been sent to the press, the commissioner was sternly shot down by the mayor, as the room sat in almost stunned silence.
Despite the heated moment, Jeffers defended the board’s decision, noting that state law grants it independent authority to negotiate landfill contracts. “It’s like the beer board,” he said. “They don’t need the County Commission’s approval, and neither does Solid Waste.” The mayor went on to say, “the deal has already been concluded.”
Jeffers added that losing Volunteer Regional would be far more costly, pointing to Morgan and Pickett Counties, which spend millions annually to haul their garbage elsewhere. “If we didn’t have this landfill,” he warned, “you’d be looking at a 15-cent property tax increase.”
As the gavel fell to adjourn, citizens were left aghast. William Murphy, who earlier addressed the commission, approached SCN in the aftermath of the meeting, saying he was disheartened by the tone of voice Jeffers took with his constituents.
“I am disappointed in the Mayor and the way he conducted himself with the public,” Murphy said. “He has an obligation to the public.”
Murphy, a former Occupational Safety and Health Administration Director, asked to be considered for a seat on the SCSWB. Should Murphy be granted that opportunity, he would bring four decades of regulatory and public safety experience to the table, having overseen workplace and environmental compliance programs, developed safety policies, and trained industry leaders on hazard management, including having done work in the aftermath of the September 11th attacks.
“It would be helpful to the county and helpful to Solid Waste to have someone of my qualifications be sitting on that board,” Murphy told SCN.
