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Carroll County commissioners today are scheduled to discuss a resolution on the proposal to build a regional incinerator with Frederick County.

Carroll County attorneys spent this week drafting a resolution detailing the project and spelling out what happens if either county backs out of the agreement.

The resolution will be presented to commissioners for their approval.

Carroll commissioners are concerned that new boards of commissioners elected in 2010 in Frederick County might decide to cancel the project during the design or permitting phase, and they wanted the resolution to define what they were willing to pay for should that happen.

Carroll County also has an election in 2010.

"I would say that the topic needs a little work," Carroll Commissioner Michael D. Zimmer (R) said at a June 25 meeting. "We don't know what the future will hold."

Zimmer asked that the resolution be drafted.

Carroll commissioners also want to see a resolution from Frederick commissioners detailing the project and the decisions they made at a June 23 meeting to move ahead with the incinerator.

Michael G. Marschner, director of Frederick County's division of Utilities and Solid Waste Management, said staff is writing that resolution.

Under the proposal, Wheelabrator, the company that would build the incinerator, could spend up to $3 million for the design and permitting stages, both of which could take several years.

Mike Evans, Carroll County's director of public works, said construction of the incinerator could begin in 2011.

"If no permit is issued, the project won't go forward and it won't go forward if financing is not available," he said.

Frederick commissioners voted 3-2 on June 23 to approve the project with several conditions, one of which was that Carroll commissioners agreed to it as well.

But Carroll commissioners want a written resolution defining the project and what each county would be responsible for should either or both back out.

The proposal would limit both counties' costs to $1.5 million each should that happen, but Carroll commissioners were concerned about paying anything if they wanted to move forward with the project but Frederick backed out.

The proposal calls for the two counties to build an incinerator, or what some people call a "waste-to-energy facility" because it burns trash to generate electricity, at the McKinney Industrial Center, off Md. Route 85 south of the City of Frederick.

Evans estimated that Carroll would send 25 to 30 trucks of trash to the incinerator each day.

Frederick would pay for 60 percent with Carroll paying the remainder. Costs have varied depending on the source. Evans said today's estimate for the project is $501 million, with Frederick County paying $301 million and Carroll paying $200 million. Opponents, however, have said it will cost at least $600 million with Frederick County paying 60 percent and Carroll County paying the remainder 40 percent.

E-mail Sherry Greenfield at sgreenfield@gazette.net.