We applaud the city of Yazoo City’s efforts to address the growing number of complaints surrounding its garbage collection within the city. We also are grateful for the city’s invitation to sit in during a meeting with the city’s contract garbage collection company, Waste Pro.
The invitation set the tone of transparency put in motion by Mayor David Starling. We believe our city leadership is committed to providing quality service to its residents, and this week’s meeting was the first step in assuring the taxpayers are getting what they are paying for in terms of garbage collection.
The city of Yazoo City has been on the receiving end of citizens’ complaints and concerns. And although the city is attempting to resolve those issues, the buck stops with Waste Pro.
In the end, the contract with Waste Pro may be administered through the city of Yazoo City. But it is the city taxpayers who are paying for the service through its tax base. And citizens should expect to get what they are paying for.
Starling provided a thick-bound collection of complaints from Yazoo City residents to the representatives of Waste Pro during this week’s meeting. We hope that the Waste Pro representatives take those complaints seriously. Only time will tell.
The Waste Pro representatives admitted during the meeting that communication has been a challenge with the city’s past leadership. Starling’s invitation to discuss citizens’ complaints was a clear indication that an open relationship between the two parties has been put into motion.
The meeting concluded with the Waste Pro representatives stating that they would investigate the complaints and look for solutions moving forward. This newspaper intends to hold them at their word.
The city of Yazoo City’s contract with Waste Pro is locked in until 2024. And if city leadership intends to continue that working relationship after the contract’s time frame, we hope Waste Pro’s response to this week’s meeting will be the major consideration into that continued relationship.
If solutions are not investigated and implemented and quality service is not provided to paying customers, we hope the city will consider that in their decision to continue a working relationship in future contract negotiations.
