CORVALLIS March 3, 2026 – Adair Village City Councilor, and candidate for Benton County Commissioner 1, John Wilson, was happy to see the Benton County Board of Commissioner’s unanimous decision to affirm, the Benton County Planning Commission’s decision to deny Republic Services/Valley Landfill’s conditional use permit LU-24-027 to expand the landfill.
Coffin Butte Landfill, which sits in Northern Benton County, is operated by Republic Services and Valley Landfill Inc. which accepts over 900,000 tons of trash every year from outside of the County. Benton County contributes approximately 67,000tons of waste to Coffin Butte Landfill or about 7% of the waste entering the Landfill. Coffin Butte Landfill has also faced criticism from Benton County residents over its release of methane, hydrogen sulfide, and PFAS into the surrounding environment.
In November of 2025, the Board of Commissioners had, in a 2-1 decision, voted to reject the Planning Commission’s unanimous decision to deny a conditional use permit to expand the Coffin Butte Landfill. Then in December of 2025 the Board of Commissioners voted 3-0 to withdraw their previous decision and re-open the public record for reconsideration.
“It is quite gratifying to see the Board of Commissioners decide that the expansion of the landfill is not in the best interests of the community. However, Commissioner Malone’s deliberation statement was inadequate to explain why he changed his vote,” said John Wilson, Candidate for Benton County Commissioner. “It shouldn’t take the political pressure of a primary challenge to do the right thing for Benton County.”
The affirmation of the Planning Commission’s decision clears the way to begin addressing the future of the Coffin Butte Landfill. John Wilson has demonstrated his willingness to prioritize both the residents and environment of Benton County in his capacity as a Planning Commissioner and would continue to prioritize them as County Commissioner.
John Wilson is running for County Commissioner, Position 1 in the May 19th Democratic Primary. “I’m ready to work tirelessly as County Commissioner and I look forward to earning your vote in the Primary.”