DEADLINE EXTENDED ON SIMI LANDFILL PLAN.

Byline: Kermit Pattison Daily News Staff Writer

Lacking commitment from wary cities and the county, negotiators have been forced to extend the deadline for joining a long-term agreement to commit future trash to the Simi Valley Landfill.

Only Simi Valley and Moorpark have climbed on board the proposed pact to commit their waste to the landfill in exchange for discounted rates. Negotiators originally set a March 1 deadline to join, but so far the pact has only one-third of its goal for trash tonnage.

"The agreement is by no means dead," said Simi Valley City Manager Mike Sedell. "There are still several jurisdictions considering it."

Other cities and the county have voiced strong reservations about locking themselves into a long-term agreement without an escape clause. The delays have prompted Simi Valley to send a memo to local cities and the county extending the deadline until March 15.

"It allows everybody to step back and have more time to look at the agreements," said Joe Hreha, deputy director of the Simi Valley environmental services department. "It just gives them additional time to review all the provisions."

Last year, five cities and the county negotiated a pact with Waste Management of California Inc. to commit their waste to the Simi Valley Landfill in exchange for lower fees. As proposed, the cities would commit 1,800 tons of trash per day in exchange for a 34 percent discount on rates until the landfill reaches capacity around 2013.

The pact would limit the landfill's average daily intake to 2,250 tons per day, of which only 200 tons could come from outside Ventura County.

The agencies which negotiated the pact - Simi Valley, Moorpark, Thousand Oaks, Camarillo, the city of Ventura and the county - together generate about 1,800 tons per day. The entire county produces about 2,600 tons daily.

But only Simi Valley and Moorpark have agreed to join the pact. Together, the two cities generate about 500 tons per day of trash - less than one-fourth the volume specified in the proposed agreement.

The remaining cities and the county have raised a number of objections about entering into an agreement which would lock them into the Simi Valley Landfill even if other dumps offer cheaper rates.

"I'm a touch concerned over the length of time of the commitment," said Ventura County Supervisor Judy Mikels. "If the market changes considerably, I want to be able to take advantage of that."

Mikels said she may be willing to join if county staff members recommend it when the Board of Supervisors reconsiders the matter March 12. On the other hand, Mikels said she worried about being locked out of the pact and the landfill bringing in out-of-county trash.

"My other fear would be being stuck with transportation costs from the east end to somewhere else if we get locked out of the landfill," she said. "That could increase the transportation costs, i.e., the bottom line to the consumer."

Others cities also have met the proposal with a skeptical eye.

"I have a hard time with a 25-year lockup," said Ventura Mayor Jack Tingstrom. "Right now we want to keep our options open."

Thousand Oaks has refrained from joining the pact because of remaining qualms such as the long term and lack of an escape hatch.

"There's an awful lot of good, but it's also a significant agreement," said Don Nelson, Thousand Oaks public works director. "It probably has a value of $50 million to our city. We need to sit back and assess just what the situation is."

Likewise, Camarillo City Manager Bill Little said his city hesitated to join the agreement without a reopener clause. And he said Camarillo wanted to truck trash to Simi Valley over the two-lane Ronald Reagan Freeway rather than being forced to take the longer route over the Conejo Grade on Ventura Freeway.

"There aren't many games left in town," Little said. "I hope it remains viable because if it's not, we're going back to the drawing board."

With less than 1,800 tons, Hreha said the cities would be forced to reopen negotiations with the landfill. Lower tonnage could prompt the landfill to demand higher rates, he said.

"If that does happen, the cities that are in will have to sit down, regroup, weigh the options and see what can be done to complete the deal," he said. "I won't say we'll retreat, but we'll proceed in a different direction."

If other cities fail to join, Simi Valley officials also have said they may be forced to turn to Los Angeles County for additional tonnage.