JACKSON, Miss. (WJTV) – On Monday, Jackson Mayor Chokwe A. Lumumba discusses the city’s ongoing issue with a garbage contract.
The capital city is still without a valid contract after a special judge ruled in favor of the Jackson City Council.
The mayor said he will continue to fight for Richard’s Disposal. Lumumba said he would initiate the proper protocol in the initial RFP process in presenting a contract that the city council voted down.
According to Lumumba, Richard’s Disposal presented the lowest cost and with the rising prices of other services, the contract is what the city can afford.
Last week, Richard’s Disposal filed a $1.6 million lawsuit against the City of Jackson to seek payment for its services.
“We need a contract that we can afford with the fact that our Water Business Administration has had challenges over recent years in recouping the revenue that we need to. That is a determining factor in terms of what we can afford, and so the reality is, is that this agreement is the only one and the lowest cost, because I know there has been an effort, there has been an effort to confuse that. The contract that we are fighting for is the lowest cost contract, whether you’re talking about with a bin or without a bin,” said Lumumba.
The mayor also added that any problems the city council has with the proposed contract, they can negotiate those issues.