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The Baldwin County Board of Commissioners met for the first time in 2023 on Tuesday to appoint new chair members and discuss waste-management issues in the county.
The meeting began with District 2 Commissioner Kendrick Butts nominating District 1 Commissioner Emily C. Davis as the new chair. The board unanimously approved this nomination and Chairwoman Davis was invited to take the center chair at the beginning of the meeting.
Butts also nominated District 5 Commissioner John J. Westmoreland as the new vice chairman. The board unanimously approved this decision.
Jim Wolfgang took the podium after these nominations to give an update for the Airport Advisory Committee. He proposed two new nominations for the committee and asked for the approval of a list for other member renewals. The board unanimously approved his request.
The meeting moved into old business with an open discussion on waste management, and specifically trash collection from county waste boxes. Walt Ritter, a government affairs and public sector manager out of Atlanta, spoke to the board and the large public gathering about their concerns.
Some key points by commissioners are noted below; however, to listen to the entire conversation, visit the Baldwin County Board of Commissioners Facebook page and skip to 9:20 of the posted meeting for the start of the conversation.
District 3 Commissioner Sammy Hall expressed concern about waste boxes being full on days that waste centers are open. Ritter answered that there have been subcontractor issues and old equipment issues that prolonged emptying the boxes.
“I am happy to announce that our district manager in Milledgeville just put new trucks in Baldwin County that will play a big role moving forward,” said Ritter.
The new trucks provided to waste management also have cameras to track drivers and routes. According to Baldwin County district waste manager Josh Raugh, the cameras were added to the trucks to ensure credibility for when a customer was serviced, and to minimize liability in case of damage claims.
“The camera videos the arm of the truck grabbing the container and you can see the container being serviced. It has the timestamp and date of service in case there are any questions about a service,” Raugh explained.
Butts asked Ritter if a local number could be used if Baldwin County residents have waste issues, rather than directly contacting their district commissioners. Ritter answered there already exists a local phone number that connects directly to their call center, but over the last year they have received minimal cases reported from Baldwin County through that line.
“If residents would use our call line, we could respond to issues immediately and offer more direct support,” said Ritters.
Davis expressed concerns about trash being picked up on Richard Street. According to Raugh, Richard Street is not a direct customer line and was described by him as a dump site.
He further stated, they pick up waste on that street as a courtesy for the county but because it is not a direct customer affiliation, Richard Street cleanup happens last.
Still, Ritter said, “We are proud to be a part of Baldwin County, so I have discussed with Josh (Raugh) to collect on Richard Street every two weeks to assist with this dumping issue until a culprit is identified.”
Westmoreland expressed further concern on the changes to the system of dropping off yard waste, including sticks and limbs. The wall where people can dump was rebuilt “too high,” according to Westmoreland, making it difficult for residents to lift anything over the wall and creating a mess near its base.
After this address, the floor was opened to the public. Below are some highlights to that conversation but again, to listen to the entire discussion, visit the Baldwin County Board of Commissioners Facebook page and time skip to 26:20 of the archived footage.
One resident expressed more concerns about Richard Street and the pick-up service being “common courtesy” when larger items are being dumped in that area and causing impositions on nearby residents.
“I say common courtesy because from a contractual obligation we are paid to dump what is inside the container and convenience centers.
Anything alongside the road, street, or in ditches would be a free pick-up that we do as courtesy to the county,” said Raugh.
The same resident then expressed more concerns about what to do when trash that is not in the bins begins to build up and County Manager Carols Tobar explained this is a county issue rather than a waste-management problem.
Moving forward, the county will be working to solve the dumping issue, he added.
The Baldwin County board of commissioners will next meet on Jan. 17.