The city and county of San Bernardino are set to skirmish in bankruptcy court in January over more than $1.9 million in landfill payments that the city has stopped making and the county wants to collect, The (San Bernardino) Sun reported yesterday. In its legal brief, the county seeks to lift a stay that otherwise stops creditors from suing a city while it's in bankruptcy court for missed payments dating back to Julycalculated at $1.9 million before November and December were included. City officials have informed the county that they don't intend to renew the 25-year contract for use of the county landfill when it expires Dec. 16, according to the county. While city officials have protested that there's no money available to pay the fees associated with the Waste Disposal Agreement, money set aside for trash should be used for trash instead of bankruptcy-related expenses, say attorneys Jeffery Hermann and John Farmer of Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP in Los Angeles. "Apparently, the city believes that the taxpayers of the county should be shouldering the costs of the city's ongoing chapter 9 case," they said. The hearing is scheduled for 10 a.m. Jan. 22 at U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Riverside in front of Judge Meredith Jury.
