Beautification Committee asks Pittsylvania County for $100,000 and two full-time trash-abatement positions

Phyllis Barker, the Dan River representative of the Beautification Committee, asked the Pittsylvania County Finance Committee during a meeting in March to include $100,000 in the FY25-26 budget for a new trash-abatement line item and to hire two full-time employees to perform daily countywide trash pickup.

Barker told the committee the Beautification Committee’s work includes classroom education on littering, countywide cleanups, seeking grants for trail cameras to catch littering, and posting billboards about fines. In a prepared statement, she said the committee “respectfully request[s] the consideration for the following: That $100,000 be included in a 2025–2026 budget, with a recommendation that will be a new line item embarked for trash abatement.” She asked that two full-time workers be hired at about $30,000 each plus benefits, with remaining funds used to purchase a pickup truck and equipment.

The Beautification Committee said it would defer to the county administrator on the appropriate department to place and supervise any new employees and noted a board supervisor serves as liaison and had attended committee meetings. Barker said the committee had two additional citizens in the audience in support of the request and asked for consideration; the committee presentation concluded with no back-and-forth comments requested by the presenters.

The finance committee had earlier moved and approved allowing the Beautification Committee a three-minute presentation; that motion passed on a recorded vote of 4-0.

Ending: Committee members praised county budget staff for work on revenue collections during the meeting; the Beautification Committee’s request will require board-level budget action to be added to the FY25–26 budget and, if approved, would require decisions about departmental assignment and ongoing funding.