GREENVILLE, Miss.–The Greenville city council jumped on the chance to buy two used trash trucks at a cost of $140,000 for both, after a ten-minute discussion about the trucks and debris in the city at Tuesday’s meeting.
We’re in dire straits in this whole town right now. We’re having trouble keeping up,” said Councilman Bill Brozovich. “The reason we’re having trouble keeping up is because our equipment is not up to standard.”
The trash trucks, the kind that pick up yard debris and other large items that don’t fit into cans, are 16 years old. Public Works Director Jermaine Thornton pointed out at a previous meeting that the average lifespan of those types of trucks is generally three to five years before mechanical issues start to be a problem. Lately the city’s fleet has been several short.
Brozovich pointed out that the trucks that Councilman James Wilson suggested buying, which were coming off a lease from another city, are already three years old. He suggested that it was time for the city to contract out its trash pickup service, which would leave them free of the worry of equipment upkeep. Mayor Errick Simmons said that may be a long-term solution, but purchasing the used trucks would buy them time and keep the service running.
Meanwhile Councilwoman Lurann Thomas said she’s embarrassed by what she sees sitting out in front of houses.
“It’s nasty. I promise you if we start putting some fines on some of them, I promise you all this stuff sitting out on the street won’t be,” she said. “It didn’t used to be like this.”
The city has also been fighting a problem with tire disposal, an issue that remains unresolved
