Landfill legislation is on Governor Parson’s desk – Lee’s Summit Tribune

April 23, 2024

By Melissa Harmer
Communication Manager

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – By a vote of 121-25, the Missouri House of Representatives passed House Bill 1751, sponsored by Rep. Mike Haffner (R-Pleasant Hill). The legislation prohibits the Missouri Department of Natural Resources from issuing a permit to operate a landfill designed for Kansas City, Missouri, without the approval of the governing body of an adjacent municipality, if that landfill is located within one mile of the adjacent municipality is located.

“We extend our sincere thanks to the legislators who supported and championed this legislation,” said Raymore Mayor Kris Turnbow. “This measure ensures that our community is protected from a threat that would have had negative consequences for generations.”

The successful passage of HB 1751 was contingent on a mutually beneficial agreement between the City of Raymore and the developer of the proposed landfill. The Raymore City Council unanimously approved the agreement at a special meeting on April 15.

The bill passed the Missouri Senate on a 24-7 vote on April 17. HB 1751 was amended in the Senate to add solid waste treatment facilities, demolition landfills and sanitary landfills to the developments that the adjacent municipality would have to approve before being permitted. .

“We are pleased that the developer was willing to negotiate with us to find a healthier and more productive use for this property,” said Turnbow. “This is a victory for the health and well-being of our community.”

For more than a year and a half, the City of Raymore led the regional effort to stop the proposed landfill.

“Our internal team worked brilliantly together and came up with multiple plans to defeat the landfill,” Turnbow said. “Ultimately, we could not have defeated this threat without our residents, supportive neighboring municipalities and organizations, and a long list of bipartisan lawmakers at all levels of our government.”

The bill now heads to Governor Mike Parson for his signature and signing into law. The governor has fifteen days to act on a bill presented to him during the legislative session.

Read more about Raymore’s opposition to landfills at www.raymore.com/nolandfill