After months of wrangling over how to address garbage collection at multi-family dwellings, the Lamar County Board of Supervisors compiled what members hope will be the final changes in the garbage ordinance last Thursday to allow the changes to take place.
The new automated garbage truck is expected to arrive within the next month, but supervisors said the updated ordinance probably would not be initiated for about another 120 days. Two options that were discussed were running regular trucks to pick up multi-family dwellings as the automated truck operated or delaying the start of using the automated truck until everyone on that one route is able to make arrangements.
Board Attorney Perry Phillips said the ordinance that covers garbage collection was passed in 2016 and the changes were added to the latest version in the form of amendments.
“My opinion is I think it needs to be tweaked,” he said.
Board President Joe Bounds said trying to find a solution to the garbage pickup situation is causing difficulties.
“I realize that we keep going on and on with this,” he said. “But, we never come to a conclusion where everybody is satisfied, I think.”
Phillips said he believes duplexes should be defined in the ordinance, especially if they are going to determine whether they will receive garbage cans.
“We’ve got duplex development defined, and we are not going to pick it up at a duplex development,” he said. “You need to define duplex as to what it’s going to be.
“I also think at some time you have to give multi-family residences a timeframe as to what we’re going to do. You are going to have to give people an opportunity to contract with whoever they are going to contract with. I put 120 days in there; I don’t know what the magic number is.”
Bounds said he had a problem with the current language in the revised ordinance.
“If I understand the ordinance, it says if you have more than one duplex, you get a dumpster,” he said. “I can’t agree with that one. I’ll be the first to say that we have major problems with garbage pickup and dumpsters, but that is cutting it down too thin. We have some duplexes with one dumpster right now that have garbage piled up around it. Management is the key to the whole, and a dumpster is not going to solve the problem.”
District 2 Supervisor Warren Byrd said he believes the board could hear each case on an individual basis.
“I think that it falls under the appeals process,” he said. “And it goes to property management.”
The next scheduled meeting of the Lamar County Board of Supervisors is 9 a.m. July 2 at the William J. “Pete” Gamble III Chancery Courthouse in Purvis.
