Yazoo Public Works Director Walter Williams said he’s tired of taking the blame for problems not getting fixed when he doesn’t have the equipment he needs to do the job.
“Management is only as good as the equipment and manpower,” Williams said. “We have a dump truck that we use for hot mix, and it’s not operable right now. We have a backhoe down, and we have a garbage truck down. I’m having those things towed to Jackson to be fixed. We really don’t have anything to work with.”
Williams said it’s also impossible to keep up with cutting grass in the city due to broken equipment and limited staff.
“We have two men, three now, on weedeaters,” Williams said. “Last week we had two tractors down. The two tractors we have, and the three men on weedeaters cannot cut all of the grass in Yazoo City efficiently.”
Williams said he is working to add more employees, but finding good applicants is a challenge. Keeping them is even harder.
“When we talk about manpower, I need some,” Williams said. “I did hire five employees last month, and two of them found another job. Among the hundreds of applicants I have there are not many good picks in the bunch.”
Williams said the board needs to understand that the street department can’t meet expectations with its current resources.
“All of you are aware of the equipment that we need – over two million dollars of equipment,” Williams said. “We cannot do the job without it. I want to stress that to relieve myself of the pressure of having to meet demands that I cannot meet. I brought it to your attention before, and I think you need to know that the job can only be done with the proper equipment and manpower.”
Ward 2 Alderman Aubry Brent Jr. said the street department definitely needs a truck capable of getting the potholes repaired.
“The reason they’re unable to fill potholes is that there’s no equipment that’s able to get the hot mix,” Brent said. “We have a terrible pothole on sixth street that I have gotten a number of calls about, and I understand that the workers are out there today working on it. We’ve been talking about Bridge Street for a good while, and it’s still in bad shape. Twentieth Street before you cross the railroad tracks will tear up your car, and I’ve been getting a lot of complaints from the citizens.”
Brent said he’s working with District 3 Supervisor Willie “Deuce” Wright to get potholes fixed.
Ward 2 Alderman Dr. Jack Varner, who frequently complains about the city not buying equipment, said it’s time for action.
“We’ve talked about equipment and gotten quotes on equipment,” Varner said. “Isn’t it time that we get down to business and order some equipment? They can’t do their job without the proper equipment.”
Ward 1 Alderman Ron Johnson said the board needs to have a plan.
“We need to prioritize what we’re gonna buy,” Johnson said.
Mayor Diane Delaware said the board will make plans during a special meeting at 9 a.m.
