County approves new contract with Waste Management

Published 2:11 pm Thursday, May 6, 2021

The Warren County Board of Supervisors on Monday approved an amendment to a six-year contract with Waste Management for collection of residential garbage that was originally signed in 2019. The contract amendment will relieve the county from having to collect unpaid fees for those services.

Currently, there is $1.5 million in garbage pick-up fees that have gone unpaid by county citizens over the years. Under the previous contract, Warren County has had to pay those fees on citizens’ behalf.

While the county will be responsible for the $1.5 million currently owed, beginning July 1, Waste Management will be responsible for collecting fees from residents.

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“Waste Management will continue to send initial quarterly bills but they will now also send reminders in order to collect the debts,” District 5 Supervisor Kelle Barfield said. “They will also collect an administrative fee of $2.17 per month from customers who want to continue to receive paper bills and submit their payments quarterly. Bills remain unchanged for customers who receive their bills electronically and set up auto payments quarterly.”

Of the residential customer charge of $62.46 per quarter, $1.25 per month goes into a fund that Warren County previously received to pay Waste Management for customers who were in arrears. However, the amounts owed exceeded this fund by tens of thousands of dollars annually, with taxpayers making up the additional monies paid to Waste Management. Under the amended contract, Waste Management will retain the surplus fund but will pass no unpaid account balances to Warren County.

Under the new contract, Waste Management would be relieved of turning in quarterly reports previously required to facilitate the county’s accounting of unpaid fees.

District 3 Supervisor Shawn Jackson voiced concern that without quarterly reports, the board would lose all oversight with Waste Management.

After much discussion on moving forward with the amended contract, District 4 Supervisor Dr. Jeff Holland suggested the board come up with a “tailored report” they would require from Waste Management.

It was decided that the amended contract would require Waste Management to provide a “mutually agreed upon account summary” due 30 days after closing each quarter.

About Terri Cowart Frazier

Terri Frazier was born in Cleveland. Shortly afterward, the family moved to Vicksburg. She is a part-time reporter at The Vicksburg Post and is the editor of the Vicksburg Living Magazine, which has been awarded First Place by the Mississippi Press Association. She has also been the recipient of a First Place award in the MPA’s Better Newspaper Contest’s editorial division for the “Best Feature Story.”

Terri graduated from Warren Central High School and Mississippi State University where she received a bachelor’s degree in communications with an emphasis in public relations.

Prior to coming to work at The Post a little more than 10 years ago, she did some freelancing at the Jackson Free Press. But for most of her life, she enjoyed being a full-time stay at home mom.

Terri is a member of the Crawford Street United Methodist Church. She is a lifetime member of the Vicksburg Junior Auxiliary and is a past member of the Sampler Antique Club and Town and Country Garden Club. She is married to Dr. Walter Frazier.

“From staying informed with local governmental issues to hearing the stories of its people, a hometown newspaper is vital to a community. I have felt privileged to be part of a dedicated team at The Post throughout my tenure and hope that with theirs and with local support, I will be able to continue to grow and hone in on my skills as I help share the stories in Vicksburg. When asked what I like most about my job, my answer is always ‘the people.’

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