Dickson County Commission Approves New Restrictions on Future Landfills and Rock Quarries

Charlotte, TN — The Dickson County Commission approved a controversial zoning amendment on May 18th aimed at placing new restrictions on future landfills, hazardous waste facilities and rock quarry operations in the county after a lengthy debate over growth, environmental concerns and long-term waste management planning.

The amendment establishes new development standards and procedures for sanitary waste facilities, hazardous waste facilities and mining activities, including rock quarries. Supporters of the measure argued the changes were needed to protect residential areas from future industrial development as Dickson County continues to grow.

“This is a common sense piece of legislation,” resident Ellen Yansy told commissioners during public comment. “With the growth in our county and our surrounding counties, people are looking for places to put their trash [and] get more gravel for construction rock.”

Attorney Jason Hollerman, who represented Yansy and neighboring property owners, urged commissioners to pass the amendment and said he was available to answer questions during discussion.

The proposal generated extensive debate among commissioners, with several raising concerns about whether the county could be limiting its future options for waste disposal and industrial development.

Commissioners discussed the growing challenge of landfill capacity in Middle Tennessee, with officials noting that the Camden landfill could reach capacity within the next several years. Some commissioners argued the county may eventually need flexibility to address future garbage disposal needs.

“I don’t think nobody wants a landfill,” one commissioner said during debate. “At some point, it’s going to become a major issue to this next governing body.”

Other commissioners expressed concern the proposal could “tie the county’s hands” in the future if additional landfill space or mining operations became necessary.

County Attorney Andrew Mills explained that the proposal originated from a citizen request and was later revised by county officials to narrow its scope primarily to residential zoning districts. He said one goal was to prevent developers from establishing “vested rights” before the county could act on future zoning restrictions.

Discussion also focused on the county’s limited authority over rock quarries under current zoning rules. Commissioners noted that much of the county is zoned agricultural, where rock quarries can currently be approved through the Board of Zoning Appeals without direct approval from the County Commission.

A motion to send the proposal back to the planning commission for additional study failed in a 7-4 vote. Commissioners then returned to the original motion to approve the amendment.

The measure ultimately passed by an 8-4 vote.

During the discussion, county officials clarified that existing facilities would be grandfathered in under the new regulations and that the commission could amend the rules in the future if county needs change.