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Residents urge Ben Hill County to keep rural dumpsites open
Summary
Multiple residents told the commissioners that closing rural dumpsites would force long drives, impose costs on elderly and disabled residents, and create safety and illegal-dumping risks; several asked the board to reconsider or put the matter to a public vote.
Dozens of area residents used the public-comment period at the Ben Hill County Board of Commissioners meeting on Aug. 5 to urge the board not to close rural dumpsites, saying closures would leave some people without practical access to trash disposal and would disproportionately affect elderly and disabled residents.
"It's 19 miles from my house to the nearest dumpsite," said Hershell Smith of 171 Sparrow Road, one of several speakers who asked the commission to keep at least one eastern dumpsite open. Smith told the board that some dirt roads are impassable for trash trucks and said the county’s $25-a-month trash-can pickup option would be unaffordable or inaccessible for many residents.
Several other commenters described similar hardships. "I’m disabled myself," said Latasha Joyner of 856 Glenn Merritt Road, who said she relies on family members to take trash to a dump and called the proposed change "a lot" for households on limited incomes. Kala Johnson of 274 Eagle Road said flooding and poor road maintenance have left driveways impassable at times and described two trash trucks recently stuck in ditches.
Jason Miller of 290 Othar Lee Rodgers Road questioned the fiscal rationale reported in local coverage, which cited $200,000 to $400,000 in county savings if sites close, and asked whether any savings would translate into lower millage rates. "Is that savings going to be General Fund money savings or is it going to be reallocated in another idea, another thing, another building?" Miller asked.
Daphne Williams of 138 Creekside Court urged commissioners to consider equity across neighborhoods, noting longtime residents who never had a dumpsite and other taxpayers who receive exemptions. She said placing a dumpster in some locations can invite misuse and asked for careful planning and public input.
None of the speakers described a formal decision taken at the meeting; the transcript records public comment and questions directed to commissioners but no final action to close or keep specific dumpsites during the Aug. 5 session. County Manager Hampton Raulerson earlier announced an Aug. 14 meeting to adopt the millage rate and to consider road project bids, but the transcript does not show that the board formally addressed a dumpsite-closure policy during the meeting.
The public commenters repeatedly asked the board either to leave at least one eastern dumpsite open or to bring the issue to a public vote so residents who would be directly affected could weigh in. Commissioners did not announce a timeline to respond to those requests during the meeting.
