DeKALB – DeKalb County could move ahead with landfill expansion plans after the 2nd District Appellate Court issued a ruling in favor of county board procedures that resulted in a 16-8 vote in favor of expansion.

The ruling comes after more than two years of legal challenges from citizen-led, anti-expansion group Stop The Mega-Dump, which argued that the county restricted public access at hearings, that board members participated in improper private tours of Waste Management facilities and prematurely supported the expansion before the completion of public hearings.

Board Chairman Larry Anderson, R-Malta, said he was glad to see the long legal process come to an end, and it would be up to the next county board – of which he will not be a member – to decide on how to move forward.