By Christopher Young,
Contributing Writer,
The Request for Proposals (RFP) for six years of solid waste collection services in Jackson has been issued and published, yet again, on November 16, 2023. Taking a look back: The initial RFP, issued in October 2021 opened up a can of chaos with the Jackson City Council – the majority of council was deadset against anyone but Waste Management picking up Jackson’s trash, but the mayor knew Jackson was grossly overpaying for its contract with multi-national corporation WM, which had gone on for decades, and didn’t hesitate to tip over the dumpster, so to speak.
When the contract with WM expired at the end of March 2022, Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba declared a state of emergency in Jackson due to lack of a trash vendor, and then ordered Richard’s Disposal to work for a one-year period. A majority on the City Council pushed back. There were tantrums and name calling and lawsuits followed – with the Jackson City Council suing Mayor Lumumba. Through it all Council members Foote, Stokes, Hartley and Banks never waived from their positions that WM should have been awarded another contract, despite the financial burden it would heap upon residents. Council member Lindsay initially was against the change in vendor, but later in the process reversed her position. Council members Lee and Grizzell were always in favor of the change in vendors that would save residents over $2 million per year.
When the one-year contract with Richard’s expired, City Council and the Mayor Jackson were locked in an ongoing lawsuit.
Starting on April 1, 2023, with no solid waste collections taking place, trash began piling up in Jackson’s streets. At hastily called Special Council meetings, the votes remained stalemated: three members in favor Richard’s moving forward (Lee, Grizell and Linday) and three members opposed (Foote, Hartley and Banks). Council member Stokes either voted against Richard’s Disposal, abstained, or was not present at numerous key meetings – the latter while caring for his wife, the late Judge LaRita Cooper-Stokes, the first-ever African-American female judge in Hinds County.
With trash piling up, and against the backdrop of the city’s water crisis and Jackson takeover bills being foisted upon our predominantly black city by white Republican legislators, residents and community organizations were turning up the pressure for a compromise by City Council.
On Day 17 of trash on Jackson streets, attorneys for both sides appeared in Chancery Court before Special Judge H. David Clark, who listened to arguments for ninety minutes before calling for a recess. Judge Clark’s comments included, “this is a travesty, a great example of failed leadership all the way around – when leaders won’t talk to each other and compromise.” After attorneys for City Council conceded the suit was political in nature, he scolded them for bringing the matter to Court. “What you have here is the city suing the city,” stated Clark. “Why are we even here, you can’t sue yourself.”
Fast-forward a few hours later and Councilman Aaron Banks yielded to the pressure, agreeing to change his vote – after working strenuously against Richard’s since the onset. The following day, April 18th, Richard’s began collecting trash once again – under a new one-year contract, all per previous reporting by The Mississippi Link newspaper.
With the current one-year contract with Richard’s Disposal expiring March 31, 2024, the RFP process has begun anew, and potential bidders have until 3:30 p.m. on December 18th to submit their proposals.
There is one other element that remains unsettled, as this new RFP process begins – a separate lawsuit by Richard’s Disposal, Inc. versus City of Jackson Mississippi. Case: 25CI1:23-cv-00200-AHW was filed on April 10, 2023 – a Notice of Appeal and Complaint, stemming “from the Council’s decision on April 1, 2023 to not approve the Mayor’s order to approve a six (6) year waste collection contract for Richard’s Disposal, Inc. pursuant to Richard’s proposal which was the most qualified in response to an October 2021 Request for Proposals entitled Solid Waste Collection Services issued by the City,” per https://www.scribd.com/document/637715447.
The Appeal and Complaint goes on to list four reasons why the Council’s decision to not award the six-year contract to Richard’s must be overturned.
A Motions Hearing in that case is scheduled before Hinds County Circuit Court Judge Adrienne H. Wooten on December 19, 20023 to compel assembly of records, per the published docket https://www.co.hinds.ms.us/pgs/cal/results.asp?Judge=wooten&Calendar=Motion&mode=all.
Does anyone have a guess how things will turn out this time around? Does past performance by our elected leaders predict future results? Will hundreds of thousands of taxpayers’ dollars be spent again this time around?
Ward 1 Council member Ashby Foote and Ward 5 Council member Vernon Hartley are already finding fault with the new RFP, per reporting by WLBT on November 17, just one day after it was issued.
Here we go again with Jackson trash collection.
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