Almost lost amid all the Election Day hoo-ha was an important and very welcome decision made Monday night by the Orange County commissioners.

The board, responding after months of outcry from citizens, decided to reopen the search for a new site for its planned solid-waste transfer station.

Earlier this year the board voted to put the transfer station near the site of the current landfill on Eubanks Road. That decision came as a harsh blow to the residents of the nearby Rogers Road neighborhood, who have lived with the noxious effects of the landfill for 35 years and were hopeful that the county would find somewhere else to put the next waste facility.

The Rogers Road residents and their growing number of supporters have been pushing hard ever since to persuade the commissioners to reconsider their decision and reopen the search.

On Monday, the board agreed to do just that. Chairman Moses Carey -- who last summer told upset residents that "the decision about the transfer station is done" -- said he had "had a change of heart and change of mind" about the issue. On Thursday the board will begin discussing the criteria for a new search.

This is extremely encouraging. The original search process left something to be desired. The commissioners deserve credit for acknowledging that and being open to taking a fresh look at the problem. As we said a few months ago, the decision on this issue will have important, long-lasting consequences. Let's get it right.