WINNEMUCCA — A committee comprised of local voters filed the necessary paperwork on February 11 that could ultimately-- if successful -- put the issue of a second landfill on the ballot in November.  The committee filing the referendum affidavit hopes to repeal actions taken by the Humboldt County Commissioners in October 2007 that changed the language of existing ordinances allowing for a second landfill and waste from outside of the county.

In short, the referendum is an effort to block the proposed development of a landfill on Jungo Rd. by California-based Recology.  However, there’s a lot of work between now and November for the committee filing the referendum affidavit.

In order to move the issue forward the committee must collect 568 signatures from local registered voters by June 25.  The number of signatures required must be equal to 10 percent of the turnout in the last general election, according to statutes.

The issue then goes before the Humboldt County Commission whose members may either repeal the 2007 ordinance or take no action.  If the commission takes no action, the issue goes to ballot.

Getting the issue on the ballot, however, is just the goal of the six-member referendum committee.

Member Marlene Brissenden began collecting signatures on Thursday (Feb. 18) and obtained about 100 of the needed 563.  She said the group is actually hoping to collect twice what they need, if possible, because there are so many factors that may disqualify one of the signers.

“I always though this was going to be a lot of work,” Brissenden said.  “Honest I’m a non-political person who loves to stay at home … this is out of my realm.”

Although Brissenden said she sometimes feels like walking away from the project, the thought of a class 1 landfill on Jungo Rd. – near to the spot where she and her husband land sail – keeps her going.

As for the committee seeking to put the issue on the ballot, Brissenden said, “We’re just a bunch of pissed-off citizens who feel abandoned by their local representatives trying to get the common citizen to have a say in this, which we feel we have not.”

While the committee collects the signatures they need to move forward, members of local government are studying the statutes governing a referendum.

Humboldt County Clerk Tami Spero said there hasn’t been a ballot referendum in the seventeen years she’s been with the clerk’s office.  The questions on the ballots in years past have been voter questions – such as bond issues.

She noted there are a lot of timeline issues that must be dealt with.  The committee has until June 25 to turn in their signatures, then the clerk’s office must verify a percentage of the signatures within 20 days.  Spero said her office would prioritize the process and she commented, “I would certify as soon as I possibly could.”

After the certification, the referendum goes before the county commissioners who could either vote to repeal the changes to the October 2007 ordinance – or do nothing and send the issue to the voters. 

In the mean time, county legal representatives are meeting with county financial representatives to determine the financial impact of the referendum, which will be discussed at the March 1 meeting of the county commission.  The parameters of the discussion are not yet clear because there’s some uncertainty as to whether the statutes require the disclosure of the cost of the referendum itself or whether that also includes the potential financial impact from repealing the ordinance -- such as loss of possible host fees from the Jungo landfill.

The referendum committee is not associated with Nevadans Against Garbage or any other group working to halt development of the landfill.