San Marcos
A ban on garbage trucks and other “overweight” vehicles from portions of Palomar Airport Road and Rancho Santa Fe Road was postponed Tuesday night by the San Marcos City Council.
Council members agreed to the delay because a meeting with Carlsbad officials “showed that the spirit of cooperation is still very much alive” in negotiations over the garbage dispute, Councilwoman Pia Harris said.
The issue reached a political boiling point when Carlsbad began enforcing an ordinance that forbids trucks on Carlsbad’s portion of Rancho Santa Fe Road. This hampered trash haulers servicing North County because the alternate route added nine miles and 20 minutes each way for the truckers. San Marcos responded by proposing to charge Carlsbad $150 for every ton of its garbage that is dumped at the San Marcos county landfill.
Tuesday’s meeting explored the possibility of widening a one-mile stretch of Rancho Santa Fe Road north of La Costa Avenue and installing noise-reduction measures. That would cost an estimated $250,000, San Marcos Councilman Lee B. Thibadeau said.
The next negotiations between the two cities are set for Aug. 7.
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