[ad_1]
JACKSON, Mississippi (AP) — The capital of Mississippi is still grappling with the problem. problematic water systemand soon you may see trash piled up outside your home or business.
Jackson Mayor Chokwe Antal Lumumba said Thursday’s garbage collection will stop after Saturday unless the city starts paying the businesses that dumped it. work without pay From April.
The Lumumba and Jackson City Councils have been battling for months over a garbage contract for the city of 150,000 residents.
Rubbish collisions continued, even though most of Jackson lost running water for several days in late August and early September as torrential rains exacerbated problems at the city’s main water treatment plant. For seven weeks into mid-March, people in Jackson were told to boil the water to kill the contaminants, as the state health department found murky water that could make people sick.
Crew members are still making emergency repairs to the water plant, leaving questions about the problem. water quality In a city where 80% of the population is black and a quarter live in poverty,
The city council repeatedly voted against awarding the garbage collection contract to Richard’s Disposal, a New Orleans-based company. The mayor said the company had submitted the lowest and highest bids. The city councilman said he believes Houston-based Waste Management, the company that previously had Jackson’s trash deal, made a better bid.
Earlier this year, Lumumba issued an emergency order giving Richard’s Disposal a contract for garbage collection.
The mayor and the city council have fought in state court over whether the mayor has the power to veto the city council’s refusal to select a garbage collection company. Mississippi Supreme Court.
Richard’s Disposal is still pursuing a federal lawsuit demanding that the city pay for the garbage collection services it provided. The company originally filed a lawsuit in July.
The company filed documents Wednesday asking a federal judge to rule in its favor. Lawyers said the company “continues to provide solid waste collection services in good faith.”
News outlets reported that the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality could fine the city $25,000 per day if garbage collection stops at homes.
[ad_2]