The Stop Mount Trashmore group that submitted petitions to force a public vote on the Apache Junction landfill and were told they are short of the number needed, decided not to appeal the Apache Junction city clerk’s decision.

Apache Junction City Clerk Kathy Connelly reviewed the petitions and found that only 294 of the 3,105 submitted signatures qualified for the county’s signature verification phase, according to a Feb. 2 press release from the city.

“Last week, the city silenced the voices of over 3,000 Apache Junction residents. While we firmly believe there are a sufficient number of valid signatures to refer this measure to the ballot, the Stop Mount Trashmore Coalition has decided not to pursue the unwarranted lawsuit that Republic Services filed against us. Our coalition does not have the hundreds of thousands of dollars it would take to fight the city and Republic Services’ deep pockets in court,” Diane Burns, Stop Mount Trashmore chairwoman, said in a Feb. 7 e-mail. “Thanks to the efforts of our coalition, after over 50 years, Republic Services is finally required to monitor the groundwater near their partially unlined landfill. We call on Republic Services to begin groundwater monitoring immediately and share the results with residents. We are proud that thousands of Apache Junction residents spoke out on this important issue and we are confident our voices will be heard at the ballot box for years to come.”

City Attorney Joel Stern said Feb. 7 was the last day that the group could appeal the city clerk’s decision.

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