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Lee County delays vote on updated solid-waste plan after public comments on curbside service
Summary
After hours of public comment and staff briefing, the Lee County Commission opened a public hearing on a proposed 10-year solid-waste management plan, heard complaints about the current privatized curbside contract and billing arrangements, and voted to table final action so staff can gather more public input and follow-up information.
The Lee County Commission opened a public hearing on an updated 10-year solid-waste management plan and then postponed voting after extended public comment and staff presentation.
A consultant for Lee County, Eric Sanderson of CDG, summarized the draft plan and said the update follows the state labama Solid Waste and Recycled Materials Management Act and outlines county waste-reduction, recycling and disposal strategies. Sanderson asked the commission to accept public comment and forward the plan to ADEM after any revisions.
The hearing drew several residents who contested the county—ontract with a private vendor and the commission—illing practices tied to that contract. Multiple speakers said unlawful dumping prompted system changes but questioned whether the county should continue paying contractor bills and maintain an in-house billing office. One public commenter cited contract payments of $6,420,776.13 from April 2022 through February 2025 as a reason to review the county rrangement; another asked for restored voluntary public dumpsters and a decal or permit system for users.
Commissioners and staff discussed operational numbers during a work-session briefing earlier in the evening: staff presented projections for the county—ollection program and said the program—reak-even projection depends on 18,000 paying accounts, which the county does not have. Staff presented a per-customer metric of $25.86 per month calculated from a $5.5 million projection divided by 18,000 accounts; commissioners noted the current customer fee is $18.50. Staff also summarized bulk-pickup usage: about 11,000 bulk pickups in the last fiscal year and about 3,970 so far in the current year (since October), with average monthly volumes near 1,000 pickups.
Speakers urged alternatives staff had previously discussed, including attendants and camera monitoring at collection sites to reduce illegal dumping and targeted enforcement by the sheriff nd asked the commission to examine the fiscal and legal risks of the current contract and of county-funded billing for a private service.
At the end of the public hearing the commission voted to defer final approval. The motion to table drew a second and passed unanimously; commissioners asked staff to collect additional public comment, provide a clearer accounting of past contract payments and operating costs, and return the plan for a later meeting.
The commission did not adopt new fees or contract changes at this meeting; staff expects to present updated cost information and citizen feedback at a future session.
