LIBERTY — A Liberty woman vented to Amite County supervisors Friday about the litter problem in and around Liberty.
Theresa Talbert said litter is getting bad and asked what could be done about it. She said the trash accumulates on the side of her road.
Talbert said county roads and state highways have long suffered from litter, and said she and her neighbors often pick it up themselves.
She said she lived previously in Baton Rouge, and the littering problem was bad there, too. She said the situation only improved after Baton Rouge elected Mayor Sharon Weston Broome in 2017.
“Before that, it looked like a Third-World country,” she said.
She suggested the board create a “clean up Amite County” day to attract litter volunteers.
District 4 Supervisor Butch Graves said inmates from the Amite County Jail pick up litter on Saturday mornings along county roads and more litter accumulates almost as quickly as it can be collected.
“As soon as you pick it up, they dump it out again,” he said.
Board President Jackie Whittington said the county can bring offenders to court, where they can be subjected to up to a $500 fine and compelled to clean two miles of road — both sides. He said community members who see someone dumping litter should note their car tag or other identifying information. He suggested looking for a name among litter found on the side of the road.
Talbert said the areas in and around Liberty city limits seem to have the most trash. She said she’d like to see roads in the area clear of litter.
“Liberty means a lot to us,” she said.
“The whole county means a lot to us,” Whittington replied.
County supervisors only have jurisdiction on county roads, not state highways. Talbert said she lives on Highway 569, which is maintained by the Mississippi Department of Transportation.
She noted MDOT crews pick up trash and place it into plastic bags that are left on the side of the road to be picked up later by others. She said the bags are rarely retrieved and are often run-over, releasing more garbage onto the side of the road.
In other business, supervisors:
• Heard a request from Patrick McCabe of Evergreen Industries for a 10-year tax exemption for his business. Board attorney Reggie Jones said McCabe needs to file a formal petition to the board, which will then be referred to state officials for approval.
• Hired part-time dispatcher Rodlyn White.
• Accepted the resignation of full-time jailer William M. Benham.
• Purchased a new server from I-Tech for $1,782 for the E-911 department.
• Reimbursed solid waste department employee William L. McGehee $119 for his commercial drivers license physical.
• Nullified a homestead adjustment on the property of Willie McGehee due to a clerical error.
• Hired victim assistance coordinator Darrius Woods at the request of Judge Lillie Blackmon Sanders.
• Voided a tax sale for Emerson Patterson’s property for 2017 and 2018.
