Oakland City Council, special session, September 8, 2026
Meeting in special session on the pellet mill's wastewater discharges, the Council asked city legal counsel, Jim Cheney, to draft a letter laying out the City's concerns. The letter is to cover reimbursement of City costs, including accumulating DEQ fines, while preserving the City's right to seek payment for future damages.
Council members agreed that any agreement must be enforceable, and must require the mill to stop industrial discharges and to seal or remove the related sewer connections and floor drains. The Council also directed that the staff memorandum be updated to reflect that on September 1, 2026, Swanson Group disconnected the sewer connection and began routing the industrial wastewater to its sawdust piles.
The county's role
Council members raised questions about what Douglas County approved for the site's buildings, treatment equipment, and scrubbers; whether the mill's current operations match those approvals; and how possible air, water, sewer, and site impacts will be handled. The Council planned to invite county officials, possibly including a commissioner and the building official, to its September 15 meeting.
Other business
Event applications and the Stearns Park tree review were moved to September 15. The Council also discussed safety concerns about an informal bicycle track near Oak Street, and ongoing difficulty updating the City website.
The Beacon's publisher co-signed a citizens' memorandum to the Council on the pellet mill settlement.
Compiled from the meeting's audio recording using AI transcription and reviewed by the editor.
