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County OKs New Talks On Hauling

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By ANTHONY McCARTNEY, The Tampa Tribune

Published: December 6, 2007

TAMPA - At their final meeting of the year, county commissioners talked trash, approved the purchase of a large tract of land for preservation and honored a fallen deputy.

Commissioners voted 6-0 to have top county officials reopen negotiations with three franchise trash-hauling businesses to see whether they can settle a dispute over who may haul residential construction debris.

The board last month rejected changes that would have closed a loophole in a trash-hauling ordinance. A judge ruled this year that the county lacked adequate authority to enforce an exclusivity agreement with three companies - Waste Management, Waste Services Inc. and Republic Services - that kept independent haulers from competing with them.

The companies have said the commission's vote could force residents to pay higher rates for residential trash collection, or result in a lawsuit.

Commissioner Jim Norman advocated that county officials meet with representatives of the three companies.

He said he was concerned that residential trash could go uncollected at some point if the county didn't try to resolve the issue. "We have an unknown out there," he said.

In other action commissioners:

• Approved spending $17 million to purchase more than 1,000 acres of environmentally sensitive land in northwest Hillsborough County. The land will link with the Brooker Creek Preserve in Pinellas County, offering wildlife a wider migration range.

• Honored the family of sheriff's Sgt. Ronald Harrison, who was shot and killed in the line of duty this year. Commissioners designated the intersection of Lumsden Road and Kings Avenue in Brandon in the longtime deputy's honor.

Reporter Anthony McCartney can be reached at amccartney@tampatrib

.com or (813) 259-7616.

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