Waco: City council OKs additional land purchase for proposed landfill

There wasn't any debate during the Waco City Council meeting Tuesday night as members voted unanimously in favor of approving the purchase of 20.01 acres of land adjacent to the recently purchased property off State Highway 31 and T.K. Parkway in Axtell.

It's for the proposed Waco landfill.

The city is paying just $396,550 dollars.

Waco Mayor Kyle Dever said this piece of property is an effort to calm the concerns of Axtell residents.

"We continue to hear concerns from the people in Axtell and we're trying to address those and we know that they are also reaching out to the TCEQ expressing their concerns for that."

The land will be used to provide a buffer for the noise from traffic and the possible odor from trash.

The additional property adds to the nearly 1,300 acres the city recently bought in the area.

So far, the council has authorized nearly $5 million for land at the proposed site.

Dever said, so far, only about 175 acres will be permitted.

In the past, the group Residents Against the Axtell Landfill has attended the city council meeting and spoken out against the land purchase plans.

No one spoke Tuesday night.

This is the third time the council has approved the purchase of land for this proposed landfill site.

The mayor said the city has no plans to buy more but that could change in the future.