City Officials Take Steps To Purchase Garbage Cans

 

WATER VALLEY – All residential garbage customers in the City of Water Valley could receive plastic garbage cans after aldermen took initial steps during last Tuesday’s city meeting to advertise for bids to purchase 1,500 cans. Aldermen also voted for a $1.30 monthly rate increase to fund the purchase. 

The votes followed a lengthy discussion initiated by Street Department Superintendent Mike Scroggins, who explained the homemade garbage containers currently used in the city are problematic. Scroggins also said being able to pick up and tip the new cans, similar to the ones used in the county, using the city’s new garbage truck will increase efficiency for residential garbage pickup.

Details about garbage cans were also shared by Schaefer Systems International sales rep Brant Ledbetter, who explained his company’s cans are among the strongest in the industry with a typical lifespan of 15 years. Ledbetter also said the cans have a 10-year, bumper-to-bumper warranty.

Alderman also approved a $65 replacement fee if the resident damages or loses the can. The final step on the matter was to advertise for a three-year financing plan for the purchase. 

Other business conducted during the March 2 meeting included:

• Aldermen voted unanimously to accept a recommendation from the Water Valley Planning Commissioners not to grant a rezoning request to build a 200-foot cell phone tower near the Hwy. 7/315 intersection on the west side of the bypass.

Mayor Donald Gray explained that Fly Timber and Mid-South Communications had requested a variance or exemption for the property, which is currently zoned commercial highway. 

Gray also shared the written statement from the planning commissioners, who acted on the request in their February meeting.

“There is no other industry in this area and the planning commission does not recommend rezoning this property from commercial highway to industrial,” the commissioners stated.

“I would not want to make that decision without input from the houses that are all around that,” Ward 1 Alderman Kagan Coughlin noted during discussion on the request. “That is a pretty significant addition to the neighborhood.”

Lance Humphreys, who spoke on behalf of the property owner for the proposed tower, Ricky Fly, noted that only the houses in the vicinity of the property are located outside the city limits.

“Why does that matter?” Ward 3 Alderperson Cinnamon Foster asked.

“They are still neighbors to the property, it would impact them,” Coughlin agreed. 

Aldermen also briefly discussed locations of other towers in the city, including one on Central Street and at least one more in the city’s industrial park.

• Aldermen voted unanimously to deny a request from Police Chief Jason Mangrum to transfer three surplus police cars to the sheriff’s department.

“They are no longer in use for us and have not been since well before August,” Mangrum explained. “The sheriff’s department has asked for them, I had just as soon get them out of our way and give them to them.”

“Are these running vehicles?” Ward 4 Alderperson Nicole Folson asked.

“No, they are old Crown Vics that have been parked. One has a rear end out, one has a transmission out and the Impala has an electrical nightmare,” the chief answered.

“So they are just sitting?” Folson noted.

“We can get money back from that if they are declared surplus property and sell them on that website, which we have been asking people to get that done on all departments for two years,” Foster said, a reference to an earlier decision by the board to utilize gov.deals.com to auction unused property in the city.

“We could take under consideration on how much it is to scrap them out or sell them on the website, because we are needing revenue,” Foster added.

Board Attorney Daniel Martin provided input on transferring the vehicles if aldermen were in favor of transferring the vehicles.

“I don’t necessarily see a problem, I know we would have to be extremely specific on the reason it is surplus and why the value is only a dollar,” Martin explained about how the board minutes would be recorded for the transaction.

Ward 2 Alderman Fred White said he would be in favor of parting the vehicles out to obtain the most revenue.

Following the discussion, aldermen agreed to declare the three vehicles surplus and sell them on gov.deal.com.

• Mangrum received approval for the city’s vender fees to be waived for an upcoming fundraiser for the police department and fire department. He explained Liz Reynolds is assisting and the fundraiser will be on her property.