Council approves plan to advance landfill closure/remediation work; staff say dozers and excavators needed to open new cell

The City Council on July 8 authorized an amendment to an engineering-services agreement to develop and execute a closure and remediation action plan for the City of Jackson rubbish field, a step staff said is necessary to reopen or expand landfill operations.

Lakisha Weathers, the city’s solid-waste manager, told the council that reopening a new landfill cell depends on closing the existing cell and completing remediation work. Weathers said the city also needs heavy equipment — dozers and excavators — to operate the new cell and to process limb and brush debris collected across the city. She recommended lease-purchase or direct purchase rather than short-term rentals, noting that rentals could be more expensive over time.

Weathers gave council members example price points discussed with vendors: bulldozer prices quoted around $1.92 million for a model referenced in staff discussion and excavators in the $1.48 million to $1.70 million range. Council members framed the equipment need in terms of clearing limbs, removing burned structures and restoring the curbside cleanup program. Councilman Hartley described the procurement as key to improving city cleanup and enabling limb disposal.

Council members asked staff to work with finance on lease-purchase options so equipment could be acquired promptly and the expanded cell could be brought into service. The council approved the engineering amendment and directed staff to pursue equipment procurement options and to brief the body on timelines and cost estimates.