Together we will stop the landfill and save our communities!
Kill the Fill PAC is the voice of the communities, united over a single cause, working together to stop a landfill project in South Kansas City. Together we will protect the vulnerable, our homes, and the natural beauty we love so much from the greed of landfill developers who want to destroy it.
Our Story
A landfill developer, Jennifer Monheiser of KC Recycling and Waste Solutions and waste transfer station Mark II, has decided that a 960-acre tract of land in South Kansas City, MO is a good location to put a landfill operation. This proposed landfill site is in an area that within a three-mile radius touches four heavily populated bordering cities: Raymore, Lee's Summit, Belton, and Grandview and crosses two counties: Jackson and Cass. Per 2020 census records that's 50,000 residents affected. Additionally, there's a significant environmental risk with the potential to affect even more residents involving a waterway approximately 500 meters from the site.
Within 500-meters in all directions from this proposed landfill site, there is the 109-acre Creekmoor Lake, Creekmoor subdivision and golf course, Summit Pointe Elementary School, Kansas City Central Seventh-day Adventist Church, and a tributary (Lumpkins Fork) which flows into Longview Lake some three miles away and from there into the Missouri River via Little Blue River.
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With Creekmoor Lake and Lumpkins Fork just a mere 500 meters away there is very little this developer can do to lessen the potential environmental damage this landfill will do, say nothing of the residents who live one-half mile away in Creekmoor subdivision.
Within 500 meters
Various studies have shown significant adverse health, environmental, social, and economic impacts to those living and doing business up to three miles away from landfills, occasionally even farther as it pertains to water contamination and significantly greater to those living within a one-mile radius. Air pollution due to landfill gases and dust, among others, is of particular concern for the vulnerable in the area.
Additionally, in the past 18 months there have been almost a dozen landfill and recycling center fires in and around the state of Missouri; some fires have reached 5-alarm status and could be seen for miles. One such fire has been burning for 13 years near St. Louis and is still burning today; others have exposed regulatory violations while all pose far reaching, significant environmental and health risks.
Schools within a 3-mile radius
Parks and water within a 3-mile radius
"Look, I think that that could be beautiful land that actually should be developed out in South Kansas City for a subdivision, other commercial opportunities. I think there's a much better use for the land. I'm not sure landfill is the highest and best use although I understand, I guess, from reading about it, landfills are very profitable for people who own them. Um, I think that you know, I-I don't think that landfill is happening. I-I don't think that it's something that is the best use for that area." - Kansas City, MO Mayor, Quinton Lucas
“It just doesn’t seem logical to anyone except the initial investors that this is an ideal spot for a landfill." - Raymore, MO Mayor, Kris Turnbow
“Although the city hasn't received any formal application, we are going to be on record that we are in opposition to it." -Kansas City, MO Councilman, Kevin McManus
Other than the developer and some potential investors not one person in the area approves of this location for a landfill. Even one of the investors that Jennifer Monheiser herself is reported to have named is on record stating his opposition. Scott Higgs, owner of Flying H Ranch which sits on a big piece of the proposed landfill site, has publicly stated he is against this landfill. Privately he asserted that Jennifer Monheiser, wife of his good friend Aden Monheiser, lied about him being an investor.
City officials from all five impacted areas, including Kansas City, have all publicly denounced this proposal with the rumblings reaching Jefferson City and the Missouri legislators. Standing up for their constituents House Representative Mike Haffner and Senator Rick Brattin along with bi-partisan support from other area legislators, Senator Mike Cierpiot and Senator Greg Razer, sponsored two bills, HB 909 and SB 590 respectively, which if passed would have killed the landfill idea at that location.
Currently, the law states that if a solid waste disposal area is within a one-half mile from an adjoining municipality that it requires approval from said municipality. The solid waste disposal area of this proposed landfill operation will be on the northern side of the site putting it just outside that half-mile buffer. HB 909 and SB 590 would have extended the one-half mile buffer to one mile.
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Unfortunately, the landfill developer was much more interested in that particular piece of property than anyone realized.
At the time bills HB 909 and SB 590 were introduced the landfill was only a proposal; no property at the site was owned by the developer or linked affiliates, no application had been submitted to rezone the site from residential, and no permits had been applied for. Despite not having any apparent stake in the 960-acre proposed landfill site the developer hired 19 lobbyists to fight the bills being introduced by Missouri legislators.
HB 909 passed the House with an overwhelming vote of 139-16, but when it came time to be voted on in the Senate it was filibustered by three separate senators who represent areas on the other side of the state: Senator Coleman, Senator Trent, and Senator McCreery. Senator Coleman is reported to have received campaign contributions from a PAC linked to one of the lobbying firms hired by none other than the developer, KC Recycling and Waste Solutions.
Fed up, Senator Brattin, with the support of Senator Eigel and Senator Carter, filibustered for 9 hours the following day by reading from stacks of letters and printed emails of residents impacted by the landfill in an effort to force the bill to be voted on.
Ultimately a deal was reached whereby Senator Brattin would abandon his filibuster and in exchange Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas agreed to a one-year moratorium on any requests regarding landfills so that there may be a regional discussion (Ordinance 230418), the Missouri Department of Natural Resources committed to a one-year environmental study at the proposed landfill site which cannot begin until after the new budget goes into effect in August 2023, and Senate leadership committed to make this a priority in the next legislative session.
Unfortunately, the budget for the MDNR study was vetoed by Governor Parsons who feels this should be a local issue. That means the MDNR study will not be conducted on behalf of the citizens but rather on behalf of the Monheisers as a requirement to proceed with the landfill. Interestingly, on November 27, 2019 Governor Parsons was quoted praising the Monheiser's company Mark II Transfer Station as "innovative" on the Missouri Department of Economic Development website; a post that has recently been deleted. While this may be a bit of a setback, all is NOT lost; there is still a path to win this.