Lauderdale County officials are looking to peer pressure to help them collect on unpaid garbage bills after publishing a list of delinquent accounts on social media last week.

 

The county has a balance of $461,646.21 outstanding debt for garbage service, which cannot be written off, canceled or forgiven under state law. County officials have the authority to withhold residents’ car tag renewals until the debt is paid, but there are numerous exceptions that motivated individuals can use to avoid paying the fee.

 

The list, which shows delinquent accounts through Dec. 31, 2023, was provided by Tax Collector Doris Spidle which processes both car tag and garbage service payments. In a Feb. 13 work session, however, Spidle told county supervisors the list is not entirely accurate.

 

Due to the limitations of the software the county uses, there is no way to remove accounts from the list that have been settled since the Dec. 31, 2023 deadline, Spidle said. Additionally, accounts that reflect a $100 debt on the list may simply have been waiting to settle the garbage debt when residents renew their car tag, which is a common occurrence.

 

Solid Waste Enforcement Officer Daniel Mabry said the county is keeping a list of accounts that have been settled and plans to publish updates later on. The idea, he said, is not to punish residents but to draw attention to delinquent accounts and hopefully clear up some of the debt on the county’s books.

 

One thing residents can do to help is to report unoccupied homes to the Tax Collector’s office, Mabry said. In instances were a homeowner has died or moved, it is up to residents to alert the county so garbage service can be stopped.

 

“If they don’t know not to bill you, they’re going to bill you,” he said.

 

The push to collect on unpaid garbage accounts comes as the county works to get a better handle on its solid waste service and educate residents about what they can and cannot do. Lauderdale County previously contracted with Arrow Disposal Services Inc., or ASDI, to provide residential garbage pickup. ASDI was purchased in September by Meridian Waste, which is based in North Carolina.

 

In the Feb. 13 work session, Mabry said new guidelines are being pushed out on social media and other channels to help residents understand their responsibilities under the new company.

 

One big change will be the end of additional containers, Road Manager Rush Mayatt said. While ASDI was lenient with the county and picked up everything residents put on the curb, the county’s contract only covers the 95-gallon containers, he said. Meridian Waste plans to begin limiting pickup to the containers only, he said.

 

With limitations on door-to-door pickup on the horizon, supervisors, Mayatt and Mabry are also considering how the county provided roll-off containers can help fill some of the void. Containers are available at satellite locations in each district for residents to drop off large items that cannot go in the regular trash.

 

Supervisors in 2024 voted to raise the garbage fee from $100 to $168 per year to help offset rising costs for the service, the first change since 2012. At the time, supervisors were told a minimum of $170 per year was needed to break even on what the county is charged for the service.

 

Supervisor Joe Norwood Sr. on Feb. 13 reminded the Board of Supervisors that even the collected garbage fees are still below the true cost.