Saugus landfill audit gets go-ahead

SAUGUS-After months of waiting, Selectman Stephen Horlick’s much-anticipated audit of the Main Street landfill enterprise account is underway.Town Moderator Robert Long said the audit started a few weeks ago at the behest of Town Manager Andrew Bisignani, however the Finance Committee has yet to be involved.While Bisignani was charged with getting the audit ball rolling, the Finance Committee was designated to oversee the audit.”The Finance Committee is to be involved in the depth and scope of the audit,” Horlick said. “Andrew got everything up and running and got the auditor in, but now Fin Com has to step in.”It took Horlick three times to get anyone to take his request for an audit seriously.Twice he made a request of his colleagues and twice they shot him down. The third time, Horlick took to the streets and gathered the necessary 100 signatures needed for any resident to have an article placed on the warrant.The issue for Horlick is simple: he wants to know what happened to the money.Closure procedures for the landfill began in 2002 when former Town Manager Stephen Angelo recommended using 450,000 cubic yards of Big Dig fill to cap it. Not only would the town be paid for taking the fill, but due to the amount of fill involved, it would also allow the area to be developed for future use.It was later decided that the planned amount of fill would turn the landfill into a small mountain. Town officials instead opted to accept 200,000 cubic feet of fill, but left the option open to accept more in the future.In 2003, the town decided to accept the full 450,000 cubic feet, which netted the town $675,000 for post-closure monitoring.That was before the Department of Environmental Protection stepped in and told the town it would also have to clean up a large patch of ground at the base of the landfill. The spot included the Department of Public Works driveway and salt shed and cost nearly $400,000 to clean up.Town Manager Andrew Bisignani said another $146,000 was eaten up in legal fees tied to a lawsuit filed by a contractor who charged the town with a breach of contract over the landfill closure.As of last May when Horlick made the request there was roughly $185,000 left in the account. At that rate, Horlick said the town would have to begin paying for monitoring the site out of the general fund by next year.There is no clear end date for the audit, but a report will be issued at the conclusion.