WALLER COUNTY TRIAL OVER LANDFILL DELAYED

  

The trial over the decision to allow a proposed landfill near the city of Hempstead has been delayed once again.

The trial was ordered to proceed by retired state District Judge Terry Flenniken on Monday, but a packed court calendar may leave the court unavailable for the duration of the trial, which Flenniken expects may take two weeks. Because of this delay, the trial may not resume until February.

The case dates back to March 2013, when the city of Hempstead sued Waller County over its decision to allow the Pintail Landfill to occupy 250 acres beyond the Hempstead city limits.

Residents in the rural areas were upset, claiming that the landfill could adversely affect the area’s economy and water supply.

The City of Hempstead’s case against Waller County hinged on what the city of Hempstead believe were back door dealings in order to seal the deal, and that Waller County had no authority over the territory for the landfill.

The attorney for the city of Hempstead Corey Ouslander said the county had no authority over the project because it crossed out of and into 106 acres of territory in Hempstead’s extraterritorial jurisdiction.

Waller County attorney James Allison says the county commissioners were in their rights when the agreed to the landfill in February 2013. Allison cites a belief that the county is the only entity that present a prohibition of solid waste in the county.