West Covina : BKK Sues Over Legal Costs
Operators of the BKK landfill sued West Covina again last week to avoid paying the city much of a $700,000 bill for past and future legal and administrative costs connected to the landfill.
The suit, which follows lawsuits by both sides last month over the dump’s disputed 1995 closure date, seeks to invalidate two recently adopted city resolutions.
The resolutions require BKK to pay for legal and other costs relating to the city’s role as the Local Enforcement Agency for the state. In that capacity, the city has been working with BKK for several years in an effort to complete environmental studies that must precede BKK’s application for a revised solid waste facilities permit from the state.
“We’ve never had these level of (legal costs) before and they are obligated to pay for them under state law and their local operating permit,” City Manager Jim Starbird said.
BKK officials, however, say they have never been billed by the city for such legal expenses in 30 years of operation. They say the city gave no warning that it would bill BKK for such legal fees.
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