[HISTORY: Adopted by the Town Board of the
Town of Seneca Falls 10-1-2013 by L.L. No. 3-2014. Amendments noted where applicable.]
As used in this chapter, the following terms
shall have the meanings indicated:
The residue of the combustion of solid fuel, such as wood,
coal, coke, charcoal or like substances.
Includes all putrescible wastes, except sewage, body wastes
and recognized industrial by-products, and generally shall consist
of wastes, animal, fish or fowl, fruit or vegetable, made and produced
from or resulting from the growth, processing, use or storage of food
for human consumption and includes spoiled food and dead animals found
within the municipal limits.
Any land or a disposal facility or part thereof where ashes,
garbage or refuse or its residue after treatment is intentionally
placed, not including a surface impoundment or injection well.
Includes an individual, partnership, corporation, unincorporated
association, firm, club or society of persons; and the singular designation
shall hereby include the plural, and the masculine and feminine shall
include the neuter.
Includes all nonputrescible wastes, except recognized industrial
by-products, and generally shall consist of miscellaneous materials
comprising wood, paper, rags, excelsior, straw, cardboard, leather,
rubber, soil, sweepings from buildings, mill screenings, tree trimmings,
shrubbery, leaves, grass, trees and other discarded articles of similar
nature, including tin cans, tin ware, glass, metal products, pipes,
bottles, pottery, tile, earthenware and like substances.
The provisions of this chapter shall apply to
all lands within the Town of Seneca Falls, New York, including those
premises lawfully designated as a landfill by the Town Board.
No person shall use as a landfill any of the
lands, streams, waterways or bodies of water in the Town of Seneca
Falls, New York, except those premises lawfully designated as a landfill
by the Town Board and after compliance with the sections of this chapter
and the statutes, rules and regulations of the State of New York or
its duly authorized agencies pertaining to the operation of a landfill.
It shall be unlawful to establish anywhere in
the Town of Seneca Falls, New York, a private landfill for the disposal
or treatment of any dangerous chemical or radioactive material.
A.Â
No person shall hereinafter construct or operate a
sanitary landfill in the Town of Seneca Falls, New York, until a permit
to construct and operate said sanitary landfill has first been obtained
from the Town Board, Town of Seneca Falls, New York. All applications
made pursuant to this section shall set forth the following information:
(1)Â
The name and address of the owner and operator.
(2)Â
A description of the property and a map thereof drawn
to scale.
(3)Â
A detailed description of the proposed operation of
said landfill.
(4)Â
A detailed description of soil content, water tables
and plans for trenching and cover.
(5)Â
A proposed date for submission of all required documents
to the Health Department and the Department of Environmental Conservation
and/or any other agency of the State of New York charged with the
administration, supervision and control of sanitary landfill operations.
B.Â
No permit shall be finally issued under this section
until all requirements of the State of New York and its agencies,
boards or commissions have been complied with and permission has been
granted by and received from the Town Board.
C.Â
The Town Board reserves the right, prior to the issuance
of a permit, to require the applicant to file with the Town Clerk
an easement giving the Town of Seneca Falls, New York, the right to
have officers or employees of the Town enter on the premises to enforce
the provisions of this chapter.
D.Â
The applicant for a permit pursuant to this section
shall not commence construction or operation of said landfill until
he or she has been authorized by the Town Board to do so and issued
a permit by the Town Clerk. The permit to construct will be issued
for term to cover the period of construction, but not to exceed five
years. The Town Board may renew a permit to construct for an additional
five-year period. A permit to operate shall be granted for a period
of one year with a renewal option by the Board. Such applicant shall
pay a fee as set from time to time by resolution of the Town Board
for each application and each renewal thereof at the office of the
Town Clerk on or before January 1 of each year.
E.Â
Conditions.
(1)Â
The
Town Board may impose conditions on the construction and operation
of any landfill as may be necessary to protect public health, safety,
welfare or the environment. Such conditions may address the environmental
and economic impacts, including but not limited to odor, dust, noise,
community character, litter, vermin, traffic, surface water and groundwater
quality, air quality, property values, tourism and economic development,
financial security for closure and post-closure monitoring and remediation,
aesthetics, land use and environmental monitoring.
(2)Â
It is the Town's policy to promote reuse and recycling.
This section shall be administered in a manner not inconsistent with
state regulation and comply with minimal requirements promulgated
by the State of New York. The Town Board of the Town of Seneca Falls
may impose conditions which are more stringent than those promulgated
by the State of New York.
F.Â
All permits issued by the Town pursuant to this chapter
are transferable only upon prior written approval of the Town and
a demonstration that the prospective transferee will be able to comply
with applicable laws and regulations, permit conditions, and other
applicable requirements. Any transfer made without the approval of
the Town is void, and the responsibilities for compliance with the
permit remain the liability of the transferor. The authority of the
facility to operate and receive solid waste will terminate immediately
upon notice by the Town Board in the event a transfer is made in violation
of this section.
(1)Â
Sixty days prior to a proposed sale, lease, or other
transfer of ownership or control of the facility or upon application
to the Department of Environmental Conservation, whichever is earlier,
the proposed transferor shall file a written notice with the Town
Board detailing the proposed transfer. The notice must include the
following written documents:
(a)Â
Proof that the proposed transferee has written
notice of and acknowledges the host community agreement between the
Town of Seneca Falls and the proposed transferor and the duties and
obligations thereunder.
(b)Â
Demonstration that the prospective transferee
will be capable of complying with applicable laws and regulations,
permit conditions and other requirements to which the prospective
transferee is subject.
(c)Â
Such a demonstration must be delivered to the
Town Board and will include documentation not limited to the following:
[1]Â
The proposed transferee must submit information
documenting that it has the financial capability to continue landfill
operations;
[2]Â
The proposed transferee must submit information
documenting that it has the operational experience necessary to maintain
and operate the landfill;
[3]Â
The proposed transferee must submit information
documenting that it has a favorable environmental compliance history
in other landfill operations; and
[4]Â
Any other information which the Town Board determines
reasonable to make a determination regarding the proposed transfer.
(2)Â
No permit shall be transferred under this section
until all requirements of the State of New York and its agencies,
boards or commissions have been complied with.
(3)Â
The Town acknowledges that the Department of Environmental
Conservation shall have primary jurisdiction to determine whether
the proposed transferee is qualified to operate the facility and to
discharge the obligations of a permittee. If the Town has any objections
to the proposed transfer, the Town must exhaust its administrative
remedies in the Department's proceeding conducted to review the proposed
transfer. If the Town fails to intervene in the Department's proceedings
and exhaust its administrative remedies and the Department approves
the proposed transfer of state permits, the transfer of permits issued
under this section shall be deemed approved.
(4)Â
In the event that no state permits are to be transferred, or the Town exhausts its administrative remedies in accordance with Subsection F(3) above, then within 60 days after the Town Board has received the required notice materials or 30 days after the Department of Environmental Conservation issues a final decision, whichever is later, the Town Board will issue its decision on the proposed transfer.
G.Â
The Town Board may prohibit and/or impose special
conditions on landfill operations regarding the receipt, handling,
treatment or disposal of special wastes which will cause or are likely
to cause a significant adverse impact within the Town. Permittees
are required to provide the same notice to the Town Board that is
provided to the Department of Environmental Conservation for the receipt
of additional special wastes or a specific special waste not authorized
by the Town or Department permits.
(1)Â
The Town acknowledges that the Department of Environmental
Conservation shall have primary jurisdiction over waste stream approval.
If the Town objects to the receipt of a special waste, the Town must
give written notice of its objections and the reasons therefor to
the Department and the permittee.
(2)Â
If neither the Department nor the permittee prohibit
and/or restrict the special waste to the satisfaction of the Town,
the Town may initiate a proceeding before the Town Board to restrict
or limit the receipt, treatment or disposal of the special waste or
specific special waste in question. In either event, the Town shall
have the burden of proof to demonstrate by a preponderance of the
evidence that the waste stream will cause significant adverse environmental
impacts.
The Town Board of Seneca Falls, New York, may,
by resolution, establish or designate a landfill site at such place
or places as it shall from time to time determine. A resolution establishing
such landfill shall be filed immediately with the Town Clerk of the
Town of Seneca Falls, New York, for inspection by the residents of
the Town of Seneca Falls, New York, or owners or occupants of real
property in the Town of Seneca Falls, New York.
A.Â
Approval
required. The dumping or depositing of materials for filling and grading
purposes upon lands in the Town of Seneca Falls, New York, shall be
permitted only upon approval of the Town Board of the Town of Seneca
Falls, New York. In such cases, garbage and refuse materials may not
be used for fill purposes.
B.Â
Permit
required. Before any person shall deposit materials for filling or
grading purposes, the owner of the premises to be filled and graded
shall obtain a permit therefor from the Town Board and shall show
compliance with any and all statutes, rules and/or regulations of
the State of New York and/or its agencies pertinent to said application.
C.Â
Application
for permit. In all cases, the application for each permit shall be
in writing and signed by the owner of the premises and shall state:
(1)Â
The
name and address of each owner of the premises.
(2)Â
A description
of the premises sufficient to readily identify the same, together
with a statement as to the condition of the surface of the land to
be achieved upon completion.
(3)Â
A plan
for weekly fill and daily cover acceptable to the Town Board.
D.Â
Extent
of fill. The Town Board will request a three-dimensional extent of
the proposed fill and the condition of the surface of the premises
before work is commenced and after work is completed.
E.Â
Nuisances
prohibited. When depositing of materials is authorized by the Town
Board for filling and grading purposes, said depositing of material
shall not despoil other properties or emit offensive odors or fumes.
F.Â
Conditions.
The Town Board reserves the right, prior to issuance of a permit,
to require the applicant to file with the Town Clerk an easement giving
the Town of Seneca Falls, New York, the right to have officers or
employees of the Town enter on the premises to enforce the provisions
of this chapter and to require such work to be done as may be necessary
to meet the conditions of the permit imposed by the Town Board. The
Town Board further reserves the right to impose such conditions in
the permit in order to further the health, safety and welfare of the
Town of Seneca Falls, New York.
A violation of this chapter may be punishable
by a fine of not more than $500 or by imprisonment for not more than
15 days, or both.
A.Â
Submission of records containing secrets. A person
acting pursuant to law or regulation who submits any information to
the Town may, at the time of submission, request that the Town except
such information from disclosure under Paragraph (d) of Subdivision
2 of § 87 of the Public Officers Law. That section provides
that an agency may deny access to records or portions thereof that
are trade secrets or are maintained for the regulation of a commercial
enterprise or derived from information obtained from a commercial
enterprise which, if disclosed, would cause substantial injury to
the competitive position of the subject enterprise. Where the request
itself contains information which if disclosed would defeat the purpose
for which the exception is sought, such information shall also be
excepted from disclosure.
(1)Â
The request for an exception shall be in writing and
state the reasons why the information should be excepted from disclosure.
(2)Â
The person submitting the information shall clearly
identify those records or portions of records for which the exception
is requested. This may be accomplished by separating and attaching
to such records a cover sheet or other suitable form of notice, using
such language as "trade secret" or "proprietary information."
(3)Â
In all cases, the person must show the reasons why
the information should be considered a trade secret or to be information
maintained for the regulation of commercial enterprise which, if disclosed,
would cause substantial injury to the competitive position of the
person's commercial enterprise.
(4)Â
The person submitting the information may request
an exception from disclosure for a limited period of time. If so,
the person shall indicate that period of time when submitting the
information.
B.Â
Safeguarding against unauthorized access to records
containing trade secrets.
(1)Â
Information submitted as provided in Subsection A of this section shall be excepted from disclosure and be maintained apart by the Town from all other records until 15 days after the entitlement to such exception has been finally determined by the Town or such further time as ordered by a court of competent jurisdiction.
(2)Â
The Town Clerk shall be responsible for the custody
of such records.
(3)Â
Each Town employee who has custody of the records
containing trade secrets shall take appropriate measures to safeguard
such records and to protect against their unauthorized disclosure.
(4)Â
Simple and effective devices to identify and maintain
repositories for records containing trade secrets shall be used so
that their security is maintained.
C.Â
Determination to grant or continue exception from
disclosure.
(1)Â
On the initiative of the Town at any time, or upon
the request of any person for a record excepted from disclosure as
provided herein, the Town shall:
(a)Â
Inform the person who requested the exception
of the Town's intention to determine whether such exception should
be granted or continued;
(b)Â
Permit the person who requested the exception,
within 10 days of receipt of the notification from the Town, to submit
a written statement of the necessity for the granting or continuation
of such exception; and
(c)Â
Within seven business days of receipt of such
written statement, or within seven business days of the expiration
of the period prescribed for submission of such statement, issue a
written determination granting, continuing, or terminating such exception
and the reasons therefor. Copies of such determination shall be served
upon the person, if any, requesting the record, the person who requested
the exception, and the Committee on Open Government.
(2)Â
The following factors are among those that the Town
may consider in making a determination to grant or continue an exception
from disclosure under Paragraph (d) of Subdivision 2 of § 87
of the Public Officers Law:
(a)Â
Any provisions of the Code of the Town of Seneca
Falls, New York, or other statute which authorize or restrict access
to the records;
(b)Â
Whether or not the records are trade secrets
or are maintained for the regulation of commercial enterprise which,
if disclosed, would cause substantial injury to the competitive position
of the commercial enterprise;
(c)Â
The written request for an exception from disclosure
and the reasons stated therein;
(d)Â
The written statement, if any, of the necessity
for the granting or continuation of the exception from disclosure;
(e)Â
The factors pertaining to determining whether
or not a trade secret exists:
[1]Â
The extent to which the information is known
outside of the business of the person submitting the information;
[2]Â
The extent to which it is known by the person's
employees and others involved in his or her business;
[3]Â
The extent of measures taken by the person to
guard the secrecy of the information;
[4]Â
The value of the information to the person and
his or her competitors;
[5]Â
The amount of effort or money expended by the
person in developing the information; and
[6]Â
The ease or difficulty with which the information
could be acquired or duplicated by others.
D.Â
Appeal of action.
(1)Â
A denial of an exception from disclosure under this
section may be appealed by the person requesting the exception, and
a denial of access to the record may be appealed by the person requesting
the record in accordance with this section.
(2)Â
Within seven business days of receipt of written notice
denying the request, the person may file a written appeal from the
determination of the Town with the Town Board or its designee.
(3)Â
The appeal shall be determined within 10 business
days of the receipt of the appeal. Written notice of the determination
shall be served upon the person, if any, requesting the record, the
person who requested the exception and the Committee on Open Government.
The notice shall contain a statement of the reasons for the determination.
E.Â
Trade secrets may consist of, but shall not necessarily
be limited to, any formula, pattern, process, procedure, plan, compound,
device, customer lists, cost records or compilation of information
that is not published or divulged and which gives an advantage over
competitors who do not know, use or have access to such data or information.