Union County Supervisors consider unpaid trash collection bills; eliminate extra 80 hours COVID sick pay

Problems with unpaid trash collection bills were a recurrent theme during the August 16 meeting of the Union County Board of Supervisors.

“We may have to pay the bill, but we don’t owe it,” Charles Huffstatler declared.

Huffstatler told the board he had been billed for trash collection services he believes may have been accrued by a former tenant on land he owns. He said someone had had a trailer house on his land, but that person is now deceased. Huffstatler said further that the bill he received was to someone named Monica Swazey. He said he did not know a Monica Swazey and she was not the person who had lived in the trailer. He said he “Googled” the name and found a phone number for a Monica Swazey in Oklahoma. He said he spoke on the phone with that Monica Swazey, and she said she had never lived in Mississippi.

Billing for county trash services is done by Three Rivers Planning and Development District. Huffstatler said he called Three Rivers and spoke with a person named Tanya who was “very nice,” but could not tell him how Three Rivers got the name Swazey. He was told he needed to take the issue up with the Union County board.

District Four Supervisor Randy Owen told Huffstatler, “The law will not allow us to forgive the bill.” Owen then moved that the board take Huffstatler’s complaint “under advisement.” The board unanimously approved Owen’s motion.

Generally, Union County policy is that land-owners are responsible for trash collection bills which residential tenants fail to pay.

Already on the Aug 16 agenda was an item regarding “Revised Commercial Garbage Contract Form.” The board discussed the problem of commercial tenants failing to pay for trash collection. The board unanimously passed a policy making it clear that land-owners must sign a form taking responsibility for paying trash collection bills that are not paid by their commercial tenants.

With COVID-19 resurgent in Mississippi (2,613 new cases and 18 new deaths today, Aug. 16), the Union County Board reconsidered its sick leave policy regarding COVID-19 and county employees. The board voted unanimously to eliminate the additional 80 hours of COVID-related sick pay previously allowed for county workers.

In other business:
• Administrator Terry Johnson said the county schools’ millage rate would remain the same as last year.
• The board approved the bid of G &O Supply Company to supply culverts to the county for $9,255. Fulton Pipe Company had submitted a slightly higher bid of $9,280

After concluding its regular agenda, the board went into an “executive session” to discuss “economic development and personnel” matters.

The next regularly scheduled meeting of the Union County Board of Supervisors will be at 10 a.m. Monday, September 6.