Newton County supervisors are weighing what to do with a $19,000 Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality grant after learning the funds could be used to pay the salary for a Solid Waste Officer.
The board had previously voted to request the funds to use for amnesty day, but in a special called work session last Tuesday, Supervisor Joe Alexander said the board might want to revisit the idea.
“If we hired somebody and paid them a per hour salary, and actually hired an officer for Solid Waste and put them in a vehicle, they could start writing folks tickets for littering and throwing out trash and stuff,” he said. “I think that would be a good thing. I’m trying to think outside the box.”
Board President Charles Godwin said in his talks with Sheriff elect Joedy Pennington, he learned the sheriff’s department might start sending out inmates to pick up trash along the roads again. If that did happen, the solid waste officer could be a good option for coordinating the trash pickup.
Under the terms of the grant, Newton County can use the MDEQ funds to pay up to 50 percent of a solid waste officer’s salary, County Administrator Steve Seale said. The person would have to spend at least half their time performing solid waste duties and keep detailed notes on the activities they performed.
“As long as he said we picked up 500 pounds of trash around this road and such,” he said.
An additional requirement for the solid waste officer is that they be certified, Seale said.
Alexander suggested talking with Pennington to see if he knew a part-time deputy that might want to earn a little more.
“This could be a home run for us if we really can do it and we play it right,” he said.
Redirecting the MDEQ grant could improve the trash situation on county roadways, but the funds wouldn’t be available to hold an Amnesty Day, Supervisor Kenny Harris said.
“What about Amnesty Day?” he said.
Seale said the waste disposal contract for Amnesty Day typically runs about $14,000. The county actually has about $15,000 left over from an old grant that could cover the cost.
“If you want to try it for a year, we’ve got last year’s grant to spend on Amnesty Day and this year’s grant to spend toward and officer,” he said.
No action was taken, but the board agreed to talk with Pennington after he takes office Jan. 1 to discuss using inmates to pick up trash and hiring a solid waste officer to help coordinate them.
