New District 1 councilmember elected, bulk waste rules change
Former Jackson Energy Authority employee Sam Turner has been elected to the Jackson City Council after a near-unanimous vote at Tuesday’s meeting.
Turner, who was among three applicants, was nominated by Councilmember David Cisco and received seven votes.
More:Jackson City Council prepares to appoint new member
“I’ve lived a life of service my entire life, working for Jackson Energy Authority…I’m now retired and I feel like I have an opportunity to give back to the city,” he said, following the vote. “We’re on the precipice of growth and I feel like there’s a great opportunity here for people to lead.”
The longtime Jackson resident said he plans to focus on growth opportunities and housing needs, as well as hold community meetings to address other concerns.
“District 1 has a lot of variability—it goes all the way to I-40 and it goes all the way to Medon and Malesus and South Jackson,” he said. “But right now we’re facing growth opportunities thanks to the new bypass coming in, and that’ll change the face of District 1 forever. And we need leadership to envision what that can look like and set us on the right foot to position correctly for this growth.”
After being sworn in by Judge Kyle Atkins, Turner took his seat on the council’s dais to begin work.
Bulk trash disposal changes passed
The city passed on second reading to amend Title 17 of the city ordinance, allowing Waste Management to work on a “more reasonable” pickup schedule for bulk waste.
“We started meeting about bulk waster operations over a year ago based on concerns from the community, council and administration,” said Leilani Mills, director of Health and Sanitation, at last month’s city council meeting when the issue was first presented. “The new chapter of special collections meets the majority of these concerns, but most importantly sets attainable standards for both the city and the community.”
More:September city council meeting brings changes to bulk trash disposal
Starting on January 1, 2023, residents will be limited to 12 bulk pickups per resident per year, and residents must separate their bulk waste—like furniture or appliances—from yard waste.
“We’re glad to see this passed,” said Mayor Scott Conger, following the item’s passage. “This is going to streamline our services and help Waste Management give better service to the people of Jackson.”
Additional changes include:
Residents must limit the size of the yard waste—yard waste cannot go over 8 feet long, or 12 inches in diameter.
Bulk waste pickup must be scheduled ahead of time.
Residents cannot put bulk waste out any earlier than 48 hours prior to pickup. Tree limbs are an exception, however, with a seven-day timeframe to place tree branches out.
Yard piles must be limited to five feet by five feet by 8 feet.
Debris must originate from the property where its placed, and the property must be occupied at the time its scheduled.
Everything outside that—anything that’s too large to pick-up—could incur a bill for residents.
“Anything outside those parameters, we’re going to send to the building department,” Mills said. “They’ll contact the resident and tell them they have 72 hours to remove it. If they do not, the city will come collect it and send them a bill for it.”
Conger previously explained the need for the change, citing a 200-300 ton increase in bulk waste over the past few years, which far outpaced larger cities.
“There’s no rhyme or reason,” he said. “We looked at other cities and municipalities and what they do, and they really balance out the expectation of the service,” he said. “The city of Atlanta--half a million people. The city picks up 150 bulk waste piles a day. We pick up 300. So you can see where the problem is.”
Employees with the sanitation department will now begin handing packets of information out to residents to prepare them for the changes.
City employee backpay
Backpay for former city employee Shenile Ward was passed on second reading, allowing the city to pay $116,636 to the former deputy clerk in the Jackson City Court.
Ward was placed on administrative leave without pay in August 2020. In accordance with city policy, Ward is now owed backpay for her position.
According to city officials, she has also been offered reinstatement, though Conger could not confirm whether she had accepted the position or not.
Community Redevelopment code changes
Changes were also passed on first reading to the municipal code regarding the Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA), in order to streamline it with current practices.
Changes included updating the statute regarding term limits for members of the CRA, schedules of annual meetings, appointment of the chairman and vice chairman, and rules about faxing of documents as well as record keeping.
“It’s nothing fancy,” said Stan Pilant, city planning director. “This puts us back in alignment. Everything that was updated is simply to reflect what we already to in more modern terms.”
The changes, though benign in appearance, were not met by the public without resistance.
Harrell Carter, president of the Jackson branch of the NAACP, along with two other local residents, spoke against the change during the public comment section, calling it “misrepresentative” of the community’s housing shortage.
“Our concerns are simple—one, the CRA board needs to reflect the community which it serves,” Carter said. “And oftentimes, we look at people who are professionals in finance to be part of the CRA, but often dismiss the people living in these areas. They’re not represented well.”
Carter referenced the well-established—and still growing—housing crisis in Jackson-Madison County.
“Jackson-Madison County has issues with livability and affordable homes,” he said. “People cannot afford the rent and high costs. They’re struggling. 56 percent of our families in Jackson-Madison County are living below poverty. The CRA’s responsibility should include concern for those who cannot find a place to live.”
More:'We don't want to give a sense of hope:' affordable housing crisis in Jackson-Madison County deepens
Carter outlined requests for the CRA to hold more regular, publicized meetings, as well as consideration of more community representation.
“We have a population of people underserved,” he said. “I thought the CRA’s job was to solve that?...This is only going to get worse with gentrification. And the language in the CRA needs to reflect that.”
Have a story to tell? Reach Angele Latham by email at alatham@gannett.com, by phone at 731-343-5212, or follow her on Twitter at @angele_latham.
This article originally appeared on Jackson Sun: New District 1 councilmember elected, bulk waste rules change
