Ward 3 Alderman Sir Johnathan Rucker said he's seen a lot of properties around the city with tall grass and litter, but he's almost embarrassed to ask them to take care of the problem when the city is struggling to keep its own grass cut and roadsides clean.
"There's trash on the side of the roads that has been there for weeks or months," Rucker said. "I don't know what else to say about that. There's a whole lot that needs to be done, and a lot of it is on us, especially cleaning the ditches."
Rucker said the former Federal Compress site, which is owned by the city, is in a "ridiculous" state.
"I continue to ask about that over and over again," Rucker said. "I don't feel the need to ask the citizens to keep their grass cut, when we can't keep ours cut. It is ridiculous, and I'm asking that something be done in a hurry. We talk about how jobs come to clean cities. No jobs are coming here if they see this. This is an issue that's very frustrating because I'm seeing it every day."
Mayor Diane Delaware said that part of the problem is reduce staff available due to illness.
"We are short of men because some of them are ill," Delaware said. "It is the nature of the times that we are in. That is why I also say to everyone, please wear your mask, use hand sanitizer and keep your hands away from your face."
Ward 1 Alderman Ron Johnson said public works has also been hindered by mechanical problems with the trucks used to pick up rubbish.
Ward 2 Alderman Andre Lloyd said he's also frustrated by inconsistent garbage collection by the company contracted by the city to do the work.
"If they can't collect the garbage on the days they are supposed to, they could at least call us and let us know what's going on," Lloyd said. "Then we could at least know what to tell the citizens who are calling us wanting to know what's going on. We need better communication."
Johnson said he has also been frustrated by the garbage collection problems. Johnson said another issue that bothers him is the state of the city's rubbish pit.
"You can't get in the dump because they've started dumping in the road," Johnson said. "That does not make sense. We have a $250,000 front end loader, and somebody needs to use it to push that junk out of the road."
Delaware said many of the city's problems dealing with trash and litter are the result of many people being unwilling to follow the rules.
"We have a city ordinance about dumping trash," Delaware said. "In Yazoo City many people put out trash whenever they want. They don't follow any kind of protocols at all. That is why trash has always been a problem for us."
Delaware said she has some proposals she plans to make for improvements.
"But they cost money, and this board needs to understand that," Delaware said. "We can only achieve what our resources will allow. We have to study these issues and make some decisions."
