A hearing in the Waller County landfill trial has been postponed until February amid settlement negotiations, according to parties involved in the lawsuit.
Last month, a jury found that Waller's commissioners court violated transparency laws in negotiating to host a 250-acre landfill on the outskirts of Hempstead, a small city about 50 miles northwest of downtown Houston. The plaintiffs - the city of Hempstead and a citizens group opposed to the project - were expected to ask the presiding judge Wednesday to decide outstanding legal questions in the civil case, including the validity of the county's 2013 ordinance allowing the landfill, said Blayre Peña, an attorney for the citizens group.
However, the Jan. 21 hearing was postponed at the last minute in light of ongoing settlement talks.
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Last week, county commissioners voted 3-2 to instruct its attorneys to agree to void the 2013 ordinance and host agreement allowing the landfill. Although Waller County had previously stood behind the law and host agreement, last fall's election brought about a change in the political composition of the commissioners court. The majority now opposes the proposed landfill, which could rise 150 feet.
Peña and Waller County Judge Trey Duhon declined to comment on the content of the negotiations, but Duhon said the talks were progressing Wednesday.
"I'm hoping that by next week we get something that we can act on," Duhon said.
If no settlement is reached, a hearing will be held Feb. 20 in retired state District Judge Terry Flenniken's court.