Board of Supervisors putting together new schedules
Marion County is preparing to take back over garbage service in December after the first of three new garbage trucks arrived last week.
The Board of Supervisors is working on routes, which will expand from four days a week currently under Waste Pro to five.
Current pickups will change for some residents, though others, including those on the west side of the county, will remain the same. Costs will stay at $15 per residence.
During its meeting Monday, the Board of Supervisors discussed implementing the service and hiring the personnel to man the new trucks.
District 2 Supervisor Terry Broome said plans are to take over from Waste Pro on Monday, Dec. 3.
He said the county had been considering the move for some time and they are excited to begin the transition.
“We got one truck in last week,” he said. “One will arrive this week, and the last one should be here next week. We’re working on the routes now and will release those soon. We’ll be starting at 7 a.m. each day. Unlike the current plan, which is four days per week because Waste Pro collects in the city on Mondays, we will be spread across five days.”
Broome said hiring should be completed this week and paperwork and physicals in place by Dec. 1.
The city and county both began contracting with Red River Waste Solutions in 2013 because the municipalities’ aging equipment was driving up costs, but there have been complaints about spotty service and price increases. In 2016, Red River was replaced by Waste Pro, which has lessened the complaints. But city and county officials raised fees last year to $15 per house per month to accommodate rising expenses.
City officials have not canceled their contract with Waste Pro, and Waste Pro will continue to provide service in the Columbia city limits.
But supervisors had voted in May to buy the three trucks and ended up getting them from Truckworx at $134,000 apiece after using the state’s new online reverse auction system.
Anthony Preston has been hired as the manager/coordinator for the county’s garbage collection and has been meeting with board members to determine the days and routes.
“Keep watching the paper,” Broome said. “We will posted the routes when they are determined.”
The new trucks will be housed in a new building that has been erected at the Marion County Solid Waste Transfer Facility on Mississippi 586 near Foxworth. Broome said he had inspected the first truck, a Kenworth, when it came in last week.
“It’s a nice truck,” he said. “The only thing that’s left to do is to put the Marion County stickers on it.”
In other business Monday, the Board:
l Received the monthly report from Justice Court Administrator Wynette Parkman. In October, the court took in $43,856 into the criminal account, $9,147 in the civil account and $666 in the clearing account for a total of $53,669. Of the total, $23,754 goes to the state with $29,915 staying in Marion County. The total received by the county was up $2,898 over last month’s total.
l Accepted the retirement notice of Martha Schexnider from Justice Court. The Board of Supervisors began work to find a replacement who will be trained before her departure in February. Supervisors thanked her for her hard work over the years.
Pictured Above: One of Marion County’s new garbage trucks sits inside a facility on Mississippi 586 near Foxworth. The county has purchased three of the trucks at $134,000 apiece to take back over garbage service from contractor Waste Pro. The truck is awaiting Marion County stickers. | Photo by Mark Rogers
