It did not take long before the new leadership in Magee was facee with some really messy problems--garbage, that is.
Mayor Dale Berry reported last week that city superintendent Nelvis Rankin notified him Friday about problems with garbage collections.
Last Thursday an inmate in Lucedale was in an accident, and when it came time to pick up the state inmates on Friday to help with garbage collection, an order had been issued that state inmates would no longer be used for loading garbage trucks.
This represents four workers in Magee, which operates two trucks, each using two state inmates.
Berry said the temporary solution is using members of the city work crews to fill in until a solution can be determined.
He said one possible option is cutting back garbage collection services to one day a week rather than two, which is the existing practice. He did say for the time being they would continue to operate under the existing schedule.
This issue is not unique to Magee. Mendenhall, as well as the county, is in the same situation. Berry said that he had spoken with Scott Womack, chief deputy, about getting county inmates to preform the service. Womack said the county has made the same request, as has Mendenhall.
Berry tells the paper that more than likely this will be a decision that will be discussed at next week’s board meeting.
