Special Session is four big steps forward

Commissioners approved resolutions at their October 21 Special Session that will save money, make costs fairer, and position us for future economic growth.
After several months of work, we have a five-year contract in place for a company to load, haul, and dispose of our household garbage at a Mississippi landfill. Waste Connections, Inc. submitted the lowest bid, and it was approved.
Waste Connections has been our service provider for a long time and continued during the months we didn’t have a contract with anyone. The bid it submitted, and Commissioners accepted, is lower than that interim price.
Another great aspect of the contract is a 5% cap on year-to-year increases. Even if those increases occur, we will still be paying less than we were without this contract.
Commissioners also voted to increase the commercial solid waste fee at a rate like the residential rate increase enacted late last year. This continues the effort to spread the cost of our solid waste services as equally as possible among all of us.
We are also aware of an extremely unfair situation: about 29% refuse to pay their solid waste fee. We are determined to change that and are in the process of hiring a much more aggressive bill collecting company to help us.
When I took office, our Solid Waste fund had a negative balance of over $600,000. Because Commissioners took the difficult but necessary step of raising rates, we are now putting fewer property tax dollars into it. Solid Waste Departments are supposed to be self-supporting and property taxes are meant to pay for schools, law enforcement, and infrastructure like roads and airports.
Commissioners supported our airport at their Special Session by voting to loan $1 million to the Lawrenceburg-Lawrence County Airport Board for construction of a 100’ x 120’ hangar. A good portion of the debt will be paid back early in its 13-year life with grants covering over 70% of the costs.
The new hangar will be the first expansion at the airport since 2016, and the demand for space to store small aircraft and larger corporate jets continues to grow. Available storage space and airport access are factors companies consider when they’re looking to invest in a community.
Airport Board members predict considerable growth will result from additional aircraft storage. Revenue from hangar rentals and additional fuel sales are expected to increase airport operations by 81%. This will not only keep the airport self-sufficient but increase its opportunities for grant funding.
“Airport operations are key indicators used by the state and the FAA to assess and support the airport’s business,” stated a fact sheet provided by the airport board. “As operations increase, the airport becomes eligible for more funding.”
Commissioners agree that it’s critical for this community to have a facility that meets the needs of corporate and private users. It is key to our economic health and development, which affects everyone’s quality of life.
Finally, the Commission approved the appointment of Jenny Doerflinger Golden to the Lawrence County Opioid Abatement Council. She was the first director of the Lawrence County Substance Abuse Prevention Coalition, and now serves as the school system’s Director of Coordinated Health.
Jenny is a perfect addition to the Council, which decides how our share of the Opioid Settlement Fund are spent. I am a council member; others are Sheriff John Myers, Circuit Judge Chris Sockwell, retired Circuit Judge David Allen, recovery counselor Patsy Odom, Lawrence County Substance Abuse Prevention Coalition chairman John Beasley, and Brandon Keeton, who found freedom from substance abuse and uses his experience to help others.