Cleburne County officials urge residents to report household garbage burning after rising complaints

Justin, Abernathy volunteer fire chief, told the Cleburne County Commission that his crews are increasingly responding to calls about people burning household garbage in yards and barrels, creating recurring complaints and safety concerns.

“This is becoming more and more of a problem,” Justin said, noting that many calls are for smoking barrels that are not out of control but degrade neighborhood air and create workload and safety risks for emergency responders. He told commissioners that volunteer firefighters sometimes visit properties and that the visits can inflame tensions with residents.

County staff and commissioners described the current response process and what residents should report. County staff said the enforcement pathway begins with reporting a burned-trash complaint to the environmental department, which checks whether the address is an active convenience-center customer; if not, the county can issue a citation for not having required garbage service.

“All you gotta do is email Miss Merle, with a picture,” Commissioner Laura said during the meeting, summarizing staff guidance on how to document incidents for enforcement. County staff confirmed that pictures and an address should be emailed to environmental staff, who will review service records and pursue citations where appropriate.

Commissioners also discussed limits to enforcement. They noted that residents who are not registered county customers — for example, occupants of an unregistered mobile home or camper — cannot use the convenience centers and might instead burn or illegally dump waste. Commissioners said repeated calls to the same properties can consume sheriff and EMS resources and frustrate taxpayers who follow the county rules.

The commission suggested steps to reduce illegal burning: improved public communication about what is allowed and how to use convenience centers, a clearer reporting protocol for firefighters and deputies, and updating the county website to provide an easy reporting link. Commissioner Mark offered to coordinate district-level follow-up and said the county should pursue a simple reporting system that allows chiefs and deputies to email photos to environmental staff with copies to district commissioners.

No new ordinance or formal change to convenience-center policy was approved at the meeting. Instead, commissioners directed staff to: (1) work with the fire departments to standardize how firefighters report burning incidents, (2) add a reporting link or instructions to the county website, and (3) educate residents about the requirement that households have garbage service in order to use convenience centers.

Why this matters: Commissioners framed burning of household garbage as both an air-quality nuisance and a recurring operational cost for emergency services; they emphasized that proper documentation (photo, address) is needed to enforce the existing county requirement that households maintain garbage service.

The commission asked staff to return with proposed website text and an outreach plan, and asked chiefs to begin using the photo-reporting practice immediately for repeat problems.