Starkville aldermen approved a sanitation pick-up rate increase on Tuesday to fund required work to bring the city’s landfill into compliance with the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality regulations.
Mayor Lynn Spruill said the city is looking at an estimated $1.5 million project to finish work at the landfill, which has been out of compliance after it spread beyond its boundaries and onto adjacent property.
The city has since purchased the land — to the north and east — and is now facing construction work to ensure the landfill properly fits within its boundaries and meets MDEQ’s requirements.
The rate increase raises residential pickup by $1.50 per month, from $15.25 to $16.75. It increases the basic commercial pickup rate by $5 from $25 to $30 per month.
The increase also raises the container pickup fees by $5 per pickup. For example, the rate for once-weekly pickup from a four cubic yard container will rise from $55 to $60. The rate for six weekly pickups for a four cubic yard container will increase by $30 from $330 to $360 — $5 for each of the weekly pickups.
For the largest containers available — eight cubic yards — the cost will increase for one weekly pickup from $95 to $100 and for six weekly pickups from $570 to $600.
Aldermen approved the rate increases on a 6-1 vote, with Ward 6 Alderman Roy A. Perkins opposed.
Spruill said the sanitation rate increases are the first for residential rates since 2013 and for commercial rates since 2012. They take effect on April 1.
“We are now the owners of the areas we have encroached upon and that allows MDEQ to feel some comfort level that we are moving forward in making some progress,” Spruill said. “But we need to make further progress, which is going to involve engineering work and then construction work to bring those areas into compliance.
“This is an expensive project and this is one of those that things that we don’t have an option on — we can’t just do nothing because the consequences of that are that we would be fined, and we want to be in compliance with MDEQ’s regulations,” she continued. “That was what precipitated this.”
Ward 2 Alderman Sandra Sistrunk said the fees will be earmarked specifically for the landfill, and are expected to generate about $300,000. Depending on the construction work’s final costs, she said, the city would have a payback period of six to seven years.
Sistrunk also said the city, if it does not act, could face fines of up to $25,000 per day from MDEQ.
“The city of Starkville at one point in time operated a sanitary landfill,” Sistrunk said. “In 1994, they got out of that business, but continued to be in the rubbish business and we still hold our permit in that area. Because of that permit, we have responsibilities. This is an area that’s become much more scrutinized and the regulatory authorities are expecting us to meet responsibilities that have maybe not been as much of a focus over the past 25 years as they should have been.”
Aldermen tied the rate increases to the landfill work, and they will expire once all costs associated with the landfill have been closed out. Sistrunk said the city’s long-term goal is likely to close the landfill after the compliance work is completed.
City Director of Sanitation and Environmental Services Calvin Ware said the landfill has been closed since 2012.
Both Ware and Spruill, in response to a question from Ward 7 Alderman Henry Vaughn, said they’d advise against reopening the landfill, saying regulations have made operating a landfill require a level of expertise that’s likely not worth the cost and effort for the city.
“It’s better for us to use that landfill and be in compliance with MDEQ,” Ware said. “It is so complex now that if we get back in the business we’re going to have to buy all new equipment because we sold all the old equipment — I mean, it was out of date.”
Ward 1 Alderman Ben Carver said he believes it’s appropriate for the city to take action to fix the landfill, which is an issue that’s lingered for years.
“This isn’t something the board caused,” he said. “I don’t think this is anything any particular board caused. I think that often times with this type of thing we’ve just got to take action to mitigate problems and find solutions.”
Alex Holloway was formerly a reporter with The Dispatch.
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Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 44 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
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