Ohio Rev. Code Ann. § 3734.54 – Preparing and submitting solid waste management plan

(A) Each county and joint solid waste management district established under Chapter 343. of the Revised Code shall prepare, adopt, submit to the director of environmental protection for review and approval, and implement a solid waste management plan for the district. The plan shall be prepared and submitted to the director in accordance with the following schedule:
1. (1) Within twenty-four months after June 24, 1988, in the instance of a county or joint district with a population of not more than two hundred thousand;
2. (2) Within thirty months after June 24, 1988, in the instance of a district with a population of more than two hundred thousand, but not more than two hundred seventy thousand;
3. (3) Within forty-two months after June 24, 1988, in the instance of a district with a population of more than two hundred seventy thousand. The solid waste management policy committee of a county or joint district may request in writing that the director extend the applicable date for submission of the district's plan under divisions (A)(1) to (3) of this section by not more than six months. The director may grant such an extension of the submission date if the request demonstrates to the director's satisfaction that granting the extension will not adversely affect the ability of the district to provide for the environmentally sound management of solid wastes generated within its boundaries during the period of the extension and provides a specific schedule of actions leading to the preparation, adoption, and submission of the district's plan on or before the date for submission proposed by the request.
(B) Within twelve months after June 24, 1988, the board of county commissioners of the county or the board of directors of the joint solid waste management district, as appropriate, shall establish and convene a solid waste management policy committee to prepare the solid waste management plan of the district. The solid waste management policy committee for a county district shall consist of the following members:
1. (1) The president of the board of county commissioners or his designee;
2. (2) The chief executive officer of the municipal corporation having the largest population within the boundaries of the county or his designee. A municipal corporation that is located in more than one solid waste management district, but that is under the jurisdiction of the county solid waste management district in accordance with division (A) of section 3734.52 of the Revised Code shall be considered to be within the boundaries of the county for the purposes of this division.
3. (3) A member representing the townships within the county chosen by a majority of the boards of township trustees within the county;
4. (4) The health commissioner of the health district having the largest territorial jurisdiction within the county or his designee;
5. (5) One member representing industrial, commercial, or institutional generators of solid wastes within the district to be appointed by the four members of the committee specified in divisions (B)(1) to (4) of this section;
6. (6) One member representing the general interests of citizens who shall have no conflict of interest through affiliation with a waste management company or with any entity that is a significant generator of solid wastes to be appointed by the four members of the committee specified in divisions (B)(1) to (4) of this section;
7. (7) One member representing the public, to be appointed by the four members of the committee specified in divisions (B)(1) to (4) of this section. The members representing generators and the general interests of citizens shall be appointed within ninety days after the effective date of this amendment. The members representing generators and the general interests of citizens and the public member shall serve for a term of two years, with each term ending on the same day of the same month of the term that it succeeds. A member representing a generator or the general interests of citizens or the public member shall hold office from the date of his appointment until the end of the term for which he was appointed. A vacancy in the office of a member representing a generator or the general interests of citizens or the public member shall be filled in the same manner as the original appointment. A member representing a generator or the general interests of citizens or a public member appointed to fill a vacancy occurring prior to the expiration date of the term for which his predecessor was appointed shall hold office for the remainder of that term. A member representing a generator or the general interests of citizens or the public member shall continue in office subsequent to the expiration date of his term until his successor takes office, or until a period of sixty days has elapsed, whichever occurs first.
(C) The solid waste management policy committee for a joint district shall consist of the members specified in divisions (B)(1) to (4) of this section from each county within the joint district, one member representing industrial, commercial, or institutional generators of solid wastes from each county within the joint district, one member representing the general interests of citizens from each county within the joint district, and one member representing the public from each county within the joint district. The members representing generators and the general interests of citizens and the public member from each such county shall be appointed by the members of the committee specified in divisions (B)(1) to (4) of this section from the county that the members representing generators and the general interests of citizens and the public member, respectively, represents. The members representing generators and the general interests of citizens and the public member shall serve in accordance with division (B)(5) of this section. The members representing generators and the general interests of citizens shall be appointed within ninety days after the effective date of this amendment. If there is an even number of counties in the joint district, the committee shall include one additional public member who shall be appointed by all the other members of the committee and shall serve in accordance with division (B)(7) of this section. For the purpose of determining the largest municipal corporation within each county under this division, a municipal corporation that is located in more than one solid waste management district, but that is under the jurisdiction of the joint solid waste management district in accordance with division (A) of section 3734.52 of the Revised Code shall be considered to be within the boundaries of the county in which a majority of the population of the municipal corporation resides. Except for the purposes of Chapters 102., 2744., and 2921. of the Revised Code, serving as a member of the solid waste management policy committee of a county or joint solid waste management district does not constitute holding a public office or position of employment under the laws of this state and does not constitute grounds for removal of public officers or employees from their offices or positions of employment.
(D) If a body existing within a county or joint solid waste management district on June 24, 1988, has duties and responsibilities that involve planning for solid waste management within the district or advising the board of county commissioners or directors of the district regarding the operation of the district, the board of county commissioners or directors of the district, at any time before the date required for convening a solid waste management policy committee under division (B) of this section, may request the director to issue a waiver from the requirements of division (B) or (C) of this section establishing the composition of the solid waste management policy committee of a county or joint district that authorizes the existing body to exercise the duties and responsibilities of the solid waste management policy committee of the district under sections 3734.52 to 3734.575 of the Revised Code. The board shall request such a waiver by adopting and sending to the director a resolution requesting the waiver and setting forth the composition of the existing body, including, without limitation, the political subdivisions and other interests represented on it. The director shall approve a request for a waiver under this division unless he considers issuance of the waiver to be inappropriate under the circumstances. Upon issuance of a waiver under this division, the existing body described in the resolution requesting the waiver constitutes the solid waste management policy committee of the county or joint district for the purposes of sections 3734.52 to 3734.575 of the Revised Code. After issuance of the waiver, the composition of the political subdivisions and other interests represented on the policy committee shall remain the same as that described in the resolution requesting the waiver, except as otherwise provided in this division. On the effective date of this amendment, any waiver issued under this division to the board of county commissioners of a county district is hereby amended to require that one member be added to the policy committee authorized by the waiver to represent industrial, commercial, or institutional generators of solid wastes within the district and one member be added to the policy committee to represent the general interests of citizens, and any such waiver issued to the board of directors of a joint district is hereby amended to require that one member be added to the policy committee authorized by the waiver from each county forming the joint district to represent industrial, commercial, or institutional generators of solid wastes within the county and one member be added to the policy committee from each county forming the district to represent the general interests of citizens. The additional members shall be appointed within ninety days after the effective date of this amendment in the same manner as the other members of the policy committee authorized by the waiver are appointed and shall serve for terms of the same length as the other members. At any time after issuance of a waiver under this division, the board of county commissioners or directors of the district, and the solid waste management policy committee authorized by the waiver, by adoption of a resolution by the board and the policy committee, may request the director to vacate the waiver. After receiving both resolutions, the director shall vacate the waiver and notify the board of that fact. Within thirty days after receiving the director's notice, the board of county commissioners or directors of the district shall convene a solid waste management policy committee for the district consisting of the members prescribed by division (B) or (C) of this section, as appropriate.
(E) The committee shall select a chairman and vice- chairman from among its members. The committee may retain consultants and may request and accept assistance and staff support from persons or political subdivisions located within the district to assist it with preparation of the plan.
(F) The solid waste management policy committee of a county or joint district may establish and appoint a technical advisory council to assist it in the preparation of the plan or subsequent amended plans or in annual reviews of the implementation of the plan or amended plans. The technical advisory council shall consist of at least one person representing solid waste hauling and disposal industries and may consist of such other members as the policy committee considers appropriate, including, without limitation, health commissioners of any health districts having jurisdiction within the county or joint district that are not represented by members serving on the policy committee, representatives of any political subdivisions within the district that are not represented by members serving on the policy committee, persons representing environmental advocacy organizations, persons representing the private recycling industry, and persons representing industrial generators of solid wastes. The technical advisory council shall exercise no administrative functions. Serving as a member of the technical advisory council of a county or joint solid waste management district does not constitute holding a public office or position of employment under the laws of this state and does not constitute grounds for removal of public officers or employees from their offices or positions of employment.
(G) The solid waste management policy committee of a county or joint solid waste management district may request the divisions of geological survey and water in the department of natural resources to provide the committee with available information regarding the geology, hydrogeology, and hydrology of the district or portions thereof in order to assist the committee in performing its duties under Chapter 343. and sections 3734.52 to 3734.575 of the Revised Code. Upon receipt of a request for such information, those divisions shall endeavor to provide the requested information promptly.
(H) If a regional solid waste management authority is formed under section 343.011 of the Revised Code for the purpose of managing a county or joint solid waste management district, all the duties and responsibilities imposed on or granted to a solid waste management policy committee under sections 3734.52 to 3734.575 of the Revised Code shall be vested in and exercised by the board of trustees of the regional authority. As used in those sections, any reference to a solid waste management policy committee is deemed to include the board of trustees of a regional solid waste management authority.