No Money To Waste In Van Buren
6/17/2007
Van Buren City is suffering from a huge financial crisis. The city has no landfill and dumps their waste into an open field on the south side of the city. The Boys State Department of Environmental Quality has threatened to fine Van Buren City until the problem has been cleaned up.
Improperly dumped waste has already contaminated the soil at the dumping site. Officials are concerned that contamination may have seeped into the groundwater the city uses for its water supply.
As Van Buren is being threatened with fines the city is also facing difficulties on several other fronts. The city lacks snow removal vehicles, which shuts the city down in the case of large snowstorms. Traffic is bad on the Drake Highway but an upgrade would cost the city approximately $21 million. The Newman Casino Corporation has an interest in moving into the city, but expects to pay no property taxes if they do.
State budget cutbacks have made it difficult to provide any assistance to cities struggling with similar financial problems. Van Buren officials could not be reached for comment, but it is apparent that a newly elected city administration is going to inherit some challenges.