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Commission approves countywide mowing contract that requires litter pickup; local volunteer group praises policy
Summary
The Baldwin County Board approved a multi-year right-of-way mowing contract that includes litter pickup prior to mowing. Keep Milledgeville Baldwin Beautiful praised the requirement and urged stronger enforcement and community service options for offenders.
The Baldwin County Board of Commissioners approved a countywide right-of-way mowing contract that requires the low bidder to pick up litter before each mowing, a move supporters said should reduce roadside trash and simplify volunteer cleanups.
County staff presented a resolution authorizing an agreement with the low bidder for countywide mowing and litter pickup; the low bid totals $56,684 per mowing cycle. The contract contemplates three cycles per year ($170,052 annually) and a possible fourth cycle in heavy-rain years ($226,736 annually) and was described by staff as a three-year agreement.
Dr. Jeff Wells, chairman of Keep Milledgeville Baldwin Beautiful, addressed the board before the vote and urged stronger penalties and court-ordered community service for people who intentionally litter. “Litter clogs storm drains, contributes to flooding, harms wildlife, and degrades our natural beauty,” Wells said, citing the national scale of the problem and describing instances of heavy, intentional dumping observed by volunteers.
Wells praised the county’s decision to require litter pickup before mowing and specifically commended board negotiations that produced that term with the contractor. He told the board that volunteers have removed thousands of pounds of trash and that the adopt-a-road program is expanding.
Commission discussion confirmed the litter pickup term came from prior solicitations and was adopted in the county’s bid documents; staff said the contract requirement was borrowed from another solicitation and incorporated into this agreement. A motion to approve the contract carried unanimously.
No additional enforcement measures were adopted at the meeting; Dr. Wells urged the commission to explore assigning litter pickup to offenders as part of community service sentencing and to consider stronger penalties for intentional littering. County staff and commissioners agreed to monitor contractor performance and public feedback after the contract begins.
