Sanitation stalemate continues

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September 8, 2010

By Jennifer Jacob Brown / jbrown@themeridianstar.com The Meridian Star The Meridian Star Wed Sep 08, 2010, 06:00 AM CDT

MERIDIAN —     Local politicians are soon going to have to do something that they often find excruciatingly difficult — find a way to agree.

   If they don't come to some kind of agreement on the city's garbage pick-up contract, October will be a very stinky month in Meridian.

    At Tuesday's city council meeting, the majority of the council engaged the mayor and the minority of the council in a game of garbage pick-up chicken.

   It started last month, when the city council voted 3-2 to accept a garbage pick-up contract from Waste Management for $107,000 a year more than the same contract with another company, Southern Waste.

   Mayor Cheri Barry quickly vetoed that decision and announced that she will veto it as many times as the council makes it.

   Because the council is split 3-2, but it takes a vote of at least 4-1 to overturn a veto, the city has a situation where someone will have to change their position in order for garbage pick-up to continue after the current contract ends Sept. 30. If no one budges, trash simply won't get picked up.

   At Tuesday's meeting, the three council members who want a contract with Waste Management voted to overturn the mayor's veto, but the two who want the cheaper contract with Southern Waste voted to let the veto stand. Since it takes a 4-1 majority to overturn a veto, the veto still stands and the council's original vote is null, but the game of chicken has only just begun.

   After failing to overturn the veto, the council voted again to enter into a contract with Waste Management. Like the last time, Jesse E. Palmer, Sr. (Ward 4), Mary A.B. Perry (Ward 2) and Bobby R. Smith (Ward 5) voted for Waste Management, while Dr. George Thomas (Ward 1) and Barbara Henson (Ward 3) voted against it.

   This time, though, the council voted to enter into a one-year interim contract with Waste Management at the same prices they originally quoted for a three-year contract.

   For that decision to count, Waste Management would have to agree to enter into a one-year contract for the same rate as the three-year contract, but if it's up to Barry, what Waste Management does or doesn't agree to do is moot. She plans to veto Tuesday's vote.

   "It gets down to dollars and cents," Barry said. "So I stand beside my decision. . . I'm looking out for the taxpayers' money, and 107,000 dollars is a lot of money."

   The council members who voted for Waste Management continued to state reasons they have previously stated for going with a more expensive contract, the main one being that they feel Waste Management has a better track record as a garbage pick-up company. They also pointed out that Southern Waste has sued the city in the past.

   The council members who voted against the Waste Management contract said they felt it would be irresponsible to go with a more expensive contract for the same services, especially during troubling economic times.

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