A consultant for Fred Weber Inc. and a man who is being sued by the company publicly agreed for the first time during a recent St. Louis County Council meeting.

Both asked councilmen last week to stop considering a bill that would have affected county waste management.

Derrick Standley, president of the Genesis Solid Waste Group, acts as a consultant for Fred Weber Inc., which is petitioning the county to permit the construction of a trash-transfer station in its south quarry, located on 4200 Baumgartner Road in Oakville.

Contending that he was speaking on behalf of himself and not Fred Weber, Standley addressed councilmen during last week’s council session, asking that they hold consideration of legislation that would have included provisions for solid waste management fees — an inappropriate action, he said, since the county currently is conducting a waste management study.

“I am not here representing any entity, rather I am here as someone who has worked … with a broad range of entities in the public and private sectors alike on solid waste-management issues within St. Louis County,” Standley told councilmen during the council’s period for public comments June 15.

He requested that councilmen hold consideration of a portion of Bill No. 178 that would have addressed solid waste-management fees in the county.

“There is a comprehensive planning effort underway examining the future needs of the county as they relate to solid waste management,” he said.

Until the study is complete, Standley asked councilmen to table further discussion of Bill No. 178 as it relates to waste facilities.

Diehl also addressed councilmen on the matter, noting his participation in a committee that has been charged by the county to work with R.W. Beck, a consultant firm from Cincinnati, Ohio, to help conduct a waste-management study and formulate a plan for the county.

Fred Weber Inc. filed suit Feb. 20 in St. Louis County Circuit Court against Diehl and is seeking $5 million in punitive damages and at least $25,000 in actual damages.

Diehl faces counts of slander, libel, civil conspiracy and business defamation for his alleged association with fliers that were distributed last December identifying Fred Weber Inc. as “trash terrorists,” according to claims made by the company in the suit.

Two weeks ago, Diehl said, the waste-management study committee had met, raising concerns over the potential passage of Bill No. 178 prior to the end of the study.

“I think we would all like the St. Louis County Council to hold that particular item …,” Diehl said. “So, this is a rare occasion where I am in agreement with Derrick Standley.”

The substitution, introduced June 15, amends air pollution, restaurant and public water recreational facilities codes regarding permit-fee schedules, fees, construction and remodeling and plans and specifications approval.

However, the bill no longer includes waste-processing facility fees.