A discussion during Monday’s Board of Supervisors meeting that at one point turned heated resulted in Board President Glenn Donald calling Resourceful Environmental Services President and CEO Steve Horton.
RES is responsible for garbage collection for the county and is being accused of being sporadic at best when it comes to picking up trash in Rome, an unincorporated town in the northernmost part of the county.
The discussion stemmed from a letter submitted to the county lawmakers by Rome resident Betty Davis.
The discussion disclosed allegations that RES has been inconsistent with trash pick up service to Davis, although she is faithfully paying her monthly assessment, and other residents in the small community as well.
County Administrator/Chancery Clerk Gloria McIntosh said the county has been having issues with the trash collection service and has been given several excuses as to the reason why.
“We’ve had trouble with RES and we’ve called them and they said a truck is down or they’re going to do a second round when the truck is up or they didn’t get there this week and they’re going to go back,” she said.
McIntosh said that a company representative even told her to give their phone numbers to the customers so they could call RES directly.
She said RES has told the customers similar reasons for not having picked up the garbage.
Holmes said they have had more trouble out of the trash collection company than anyone they have ever had before.
Donald attempted to address other possible reasons for the complaints, however McIntosh asserted that the company has not denied that they have been having issues. Solid Waste Clerk Clara Phillips also affirmed the allegations based on documented customer complaints.
Phillips also asserted that the issue didn’t just start, and that it was present before the new contract was signed February 2017.
In a 4 to 1 vote at that meeting, the Supervisors elected to extend the solid waste contract with Resourceful Environmental Services for three more years at the same price of $12.47 per household. Republic Service of Leland had presented the low bid at $12.40 per household, but it was rejected.
Donald questioned who they had been talking to at RES and at a point, voices were raised when District 5 Supervisor Gloria Dickerson told Donald, “That’s the problem. If it were your district you’d be saying something.”
Donald replied, “I’m fighting for you, don’t you see, this ain’t got nothing to do with what district this is.”
In the telephone conversation, Horton said the issue stems from having to put several different drivers on the route, “But they all should be trained on it now,” he said.
Horton added that the issues with the service were not intentional and whenever they went out, they have always taken care of Davis’ issue.
Horton said he had not heard from the resident in three weeks and assumed that the situation had been rectified. The letter to the board was dated July 25.
