NATCHEZ, Miss. – Adams County supervisors approved the garbage-collection contract Monday that has divided the board as they debate the increased costs and how often residential trash should be hauled away.
The annualized costs for the county is going up by about $700,000, but supervisors have not decided whether to increase the $15-a-month charge that Adams County residents now pay per household for their twice-a-week pickups.
It will cost the county about $1.8 million in the upcoming 12 months to pay United Infrastructure Services to collect trash, according to board attorney Scott Slover. That’s up from the $1.1 million it’s cost Adams County for the previous 12 months to have trash collected for about 5,500 households.
The $26.66 monthly rate United is charging per household is up from the $19 Adams County supervisors paid in a temporary contract they inked with United in January as the board sought bidders for a long-term contract.
The three supervisors who favor the contract with the New Orleans-based waste company see it as a reasonable increase to ensure twice-a-week pickup for Adams County residents living outside Natchez.
“Everybody knows everything has gone up,” said Supervisor Ricky Gray. “You can’t get anything done without raising (the costs).”
However, the two dissenting supervisors say the board should reduce pickup service to once a week to restrain costs.
“I think one-day-a-week pickup is the only option,” said Supervisor Wes Middleton, who noted this could reduce the county’s monthly garbage expenses by about $9 per household from the $26.66 in the new contract.
“The increase in cost the first year, and in the subsequent years, is not what taxpayers should have to pay for,” Middleton said.
The six-year contract with United specifies the per-household costs go up incrementally each year to $33.22 in the final year.
While the Board of Supervisors voted Monday to approve the garbage contract, no decision was made to increase the $15 monthly charge imposed on county residents for garbage collection. A public hearing would be required before any board vote is taken to raise that rate, Slover said.
He noted the board has potential sources of funds to tap into if needed without having to increase the amount directly charged to county residents to have their trash collected.
Adams County households are not provided wheeled containers or have their recyclable trash separately collected.
In Natchez, residents directly pay $22.17 a month per household for their three-times-a-week trash collection (one for recyclables) by Arrow Disposal Service. The arrangement includes wheeled trash containers provided for every Natchez residence.
In competing with United for the Adams County contract, Arrow proposed a price of $17.45 per household each month with a cart provided for once-a-week residential pickups. United’s bid for once-a-week collection was $25.33.
Arrow’s twice-a-week collection bid was priced just a few cents more than United’s $26.66 rate, but the county board voted 3-2 last month to just negotiate with United for a final deal. The board could’ve brought both companies to the bargaining table.
Adams County supervisors voting to negotiate only with United: Gray, Angela Hutchins and Warren Gaines. Voting against: Middleton and Kevin Wilson.
The two dissenters unsuccessfully tried to get the board to reconsider and negotiate more with both United and Arrow to seek a better deal. “If you don’t do it at all, it looks bad,” Wilson said.
He said complaints have been made to the state Attorney General’s Office and state Auditor’s Office about the Adams County garbage contract.
United Infrastructure Services is run by the same operators of Metro Services Group, the garbage company that served Adams County since 2018 but went bankrupt last October.
Metro’s troubles late last year had it going days without collecting some Adams County residents’ garbage.
Metro was among the South’s leading Black-owned businesses. Co-founder and chief executive Jimmie Woods sits on the LSU Board of Supervisors.
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