Harlan Kirgan
St. Landry Parish Council members vented about trash pickup with four members of the parish Solid Waste Commission present.
Commission members appointed by the Council, Kathy Moreau, Reynard Readore, Edward Briscoe and Jodie Powell, attended Wednesday’s regular meeting of the Parish Council.
They were asked to meet with the Parish Council meeting about three months ago, but said they never learned of that request.
Councilman Jerry Red had said in a motion asking the Commission members to attend that if they did not, they would be removed.
Everything seemed nicer than that at Wednesday’s session.
The Solid Waste Commission oversees the garbage collection and disposal site in the parish. The operation is funded by 0.8 percent sales tax.
Among the issues that surfaced at the Council meeting were:
— Summer youth work program. Briscoe said the program didn’t happen this year because of possible equipment costs.
But Briscoe also said politics was a concern. He did not mention it, but municipal elections are this year. The youth program operated primarily in the municipalities.
— Were any funds given to municipalities? Moreau said tax funds are limited in use to collection and landfill expenses. The money distributed to the parish and cities comes from out-of-parish sources, she said.
— Red asked if the commissioners all lived in the parish and all said they do.
— Council members were encouraged to document the time and date of complaints about pickup misses. If the garbage is not picked up within 24 hours of Waste Connections, the contractor, being notified, the cost is deducted from the contractor’s payment, Moreau said.
— Councilman Wayne Ardoin asked about the pick up of white goods.
Moreau said the commission is “fighting with them right now over that.”
The drivers are supposed to radio in white goods left on the side the road.
“I’m not sure how often the pick up now .. .but that’s another item that we need to address,” she said.
— Ardoin said the automated garbage trucks have been destroying streets.
“The streets in Park Vista look a third-world country ...” Ardoin said.
— Councilman Timmy Lejeune said people in his district have been having problems getting a second garbage can.
Other commission members are Jerry Domengeaux, Eddie Godwin, Gardie McManus, Cyrus Auzenne and A.F. “Pete” Olivier, according to the Solid Waste Commission’s website.