City Council will vote on new garbage contract Thursday. See what's different

If all goes well at a special meeting of the Jackson City Council on Thursday, Jackson residents will not have to worry about a second trash crisis.

On the agenda, for Thursday's noon meeting, council members are expected to ratify a new contract between the City of Jackson and Richard's Disposal Inc. for garbage collection services for six years with the option of four 1-year extensions that could be exercised by the city.

One of the biggest discussions about the contract at Tuesday's council meeting was the removal of trash carts from the contract. The original contract called for Richard's Disposal to provide 45,000, 96-gallon trash carts, though using the carts was optional. If residents already had a trash cart they could use their own preferred one, or they could just put trash bags on the street.

But now carts are completely off the table. The council voted Tuesday on the long-term contract with Richard's with an amendment that trash carts be removed from the contract, which Richard's Disposal has agreed to do and the contract was signed Tuesday, according to City Spokesperson Melissa Payne.

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Although council members voted 4-3 in favor of the amended contract, Richard's Disposal still had to agree to remove the carts. Now that the garbage company has agreed, the council will have to give official approval on the new, no-trash-cart contract which is on the agenda for Thursday's special city council meeting.

How much will taxpayers save on the new contract?

Removal of trash carts drops the price of the contract to $851,000 per month, or just over $61.2 million over six years. The original contract, with trash carts, was for $891,000 per month, saving taxpayers $40,000 per month or nearly $2.9 million over six years.

Saving money is always good news, but the new contract is still more expensive than the bid Richard's Disposal submitted in 2021 that city leaders could not agree on. That bid was worth $765,000 per month, or just over $55 million over six years.

Compared to the 2021 bid, this year's new contract with Richard's Disposal costs taxpayers $86,000 more per month and nearly $6.2 million over six years.

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But will the council approve contract?

Even though the council voted 4-3 in favor of the amended contract during Tuesday's meeting, it wasn't without some drama. Initially, the amended contract failed in a 4-3 vote. Ward 4 Councilman Brian Grizzell ended up siding with Ward 1 Councilman Ashby Foote, Ward 3 Councilman Kenneth Stokes and Ward 5 Councilman Vernon Hartley to reject Richard's Disposal.

Grizzell voted against, he said, because he was in favor of the original contract, which included trash carts.

Following the initial vote, Ward 2 Councilwoman Angelique Lee, visibly upset the contract failed, yelled out "Brian!" The two leaned back in their chairs and could be seen talking. Lee quickly called for a motion to reconsider. A second vote was held. Grizzell changed his vote and the amended contract was approved on a 4-3 vote.

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Along with Grizzell and Lee, Ward 6 Councilman and Council President Aaron Banks and Ward 7 Councilwoman Virgi Lindsay all voted in favor of the amended contract.

The Clarion Ledger contacted Grizzell to see if he would vote in favor of the amended contract now that trash carts have been officially removed.

"While the garbage cart issue is a huge loss for neighborhoods that want to be kept clean, or residents who want help keeping their streets free of garbage, I will vote in favor of the contract," Grizzell said in a text message Wednesday.

With Grizzell saying he will vote in favor, the amended contract should get the four votes necessary to pass.

Lumumba's statement

After Tuesday's council meeting, Jackson Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba released a statement on the success of finally awarding a garbage contract.

Read Lumumba's full statement below:

"We are extremely pleased to announce the City Council voted earlier today to approve a six-year contract with Richard’s Disposal, Inc. to ensure we have a professional and reliable garbage collection company in the City of Jackson. It has been the culmination of over three years of multiple RFP processes, town halls and special council meetings. This was never about scoring political points; it is about giving our taxpayers the value and service they deserve.

"Throughout this process, Richard’s has proven it has the capability to do the job and secure a Jacksonian workforce a good paying job with benefits they would not receive with previous vendors. It is a testament to their integrity that they stuck around in the first place after being so unfairly treated. We offer a great deal of gratitude to them and their workers for believing in Jackson, and working on behalf of our residents, when the easier option would have been to leave.

"We still believe that a garbage cart, common in most cities including the metro Jackson area, is a wise investment that will prevent clutter and alleviate the workload of Richard’s workers. But we also know that the certainty of a final garbage contract is the larger gain of residents.

"This garbage contract and process has always been about the quality of life of our residents. It is for this reason we found this not only a worthwhile investment, but an essential one. We can’t go back to the original contract, which would have saved the city and residents millions of dollars, but we can move forward with the knowledge this current contract is a huge leap forward. It was a hard-fought process. Our residents deserve it.

"I want to thank the council members, and the many community and neighborhood organizations who stood up for our residents in a trying time. You continue to remind me that the best of Jackson is both attainable and achievable."

This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: Jackson, MS city council to vote on a new, cheaper trash contract