COEUR d'ALENE - Kootenai County is trashing its dump plan.

In response to public outcry, the Solid Waste Department has abandoned its strategy to consolidate most rural dump sites to reduce costs.

The county commissioners approved a new Rural Systems Strategy on Tuesday, calling for minimal consolidation and the gradual relocation of rural sites onto county-owned property.

"I just think it makes a much better plan," said Roger Saterfiel, Solid Waste director. "I support it 100 percent."

The commissioners approved the change unanimously, agreeing that the previous strategy limited flexibility with dump management.

"As situations changed, it would have painted us into a corner," said Commissioner Dan Green.

Solid Waste had been bombarded with phone calls and letters opposing the long-term plan to reduce the rural dump sites from 14 to five, Saterfiel said.

"Citizens spoke up and said, 'We like it the way it is,'" Saterfiel said, adding that the resolution was adopted a few years ago. "The big concern was economics. They would have to drive farther (to dump trash), and there is concern of illegal dumping on the roadside."

So the county will give them what they want, he said.

If property owners are willing to pay for all the sites, he said, then so be it.

"My philosophy has always been to give our citizens what they are willing to pay for, and the service they desire," he said.

On-site staff and garbage collection at the remote sites cost about $700,000 a year, Saterfiel said.

Charlie Krahenbuhl, one of those who opposed consolidating the Worley and Sun Up Bay sites last year, said he applauded the county's new plan.

"We really appreciate that the county commissioners listen to the public input," he said.

Most rural dump users are too far out to have garbage collection at their homes, he pointed out.

So the closer the sites, the better.

"It's important just to keep everything tidy and control the waste," said Krahenbuhl, who lives north of Worley.

Commissioner Jai Nelson said she worried that the previous plan would only increase costs, requiring the clean-up of clandestine dump sites.

"Many years ago, there was garbage lying along many roadsides with sacks of garbage and refrigerators, and even sofas in creek beds and wetland areas," Nelson said. "This problem is exactly what led the county to increase the number of rural dumpsites."

The new strategy still calls for possibly consolidating four sites, Saterfiel said.

That would include combining the Garwood and Twin Lakes dumps and relocating them to a more central position. The same would be done with the two sites near Rose Lake.

"That's not written in stone," Saterfiel said, adding that finding and purchasing property for new dump sites can take years.

Plans for the other sites aren't off the table, he added.

Solid Waste had hoped to use the savings from consolidation to fund improvements at rural sites, like adding security staff, fences and recycling services.

The department will still pursue all of that, he said, maybe by funding it out of Solid Waste's budget or using savings from increased recycling.

"The thing I have to stress is we will resist raising rates in this economy," Saterfiel said.

Solid Waste only wants to make improvements on sites the county owns, though. And right now, the county only owns three of the 14 sites, Saterfiel said.

"Some are privately owned, some are right of ways in highway districts. Some are wide spots in the roads," he said. "We don't know how some of them happened. They just came about."

His department hopes to relocate all the sites to county-owned land, he said. That will require what he expects to be several years of finding and purchasing new property.

"We have to wait until the property becomes available," he said.

The aim is always to provide safe, functional dump sites, he added.

"I think we're headed in the right direction," Saterfiel said. "The bottom line is, what can we afford? It just might take a little longer than we'd like."