JACKSON, Miss. (WJTV) – On Thursday, Jackson Mayor Chokwe A. Lumumba declared a local emergency due to the city’s garbage contract.
The city’s current contract with Waste Management is set to expire on April 1, 2022. The mayor said negotiations for the City Council to approve the contract with Richard’s Disposal have been unsuccessful.
Without a contract in place, the city will have no means to collect garbage. The failure to properly collect and dispose of the garbage could lead the city to face civil penalties of up to $25,000 a day and other legal action by the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ).
“It is unfortunate we are at this point,” Lumumba said. “My administration has worked overtime to explain every step of the process in what is normally a routine contract bidding process. There’s no dispute that Richard’s won fair and square and would also save the City millions of dollars over the course of the contract, retain twice a week pickup with a cart and bring good-paying jobs to Jackson. The only question now is how much legal exposure the City could face.”
If an agreement cannot be reached, the mayor said the city intends to pursue a separate contract for garbage collection until a new contract is legally procured. Lumumba said the emergency order is effective immediately and will be brought before the City Council at its next meeting.