Nelson County judge: phase two of bulky-item pickup underway; county uses inmate crews to lower costs

Nelson County Judge Executive Tim Hutchins said the county began phase two of its bulky-item pickup program this week and is using inmate crews to lower program costs.

Hutchins told listeners that the program is still early in its rollout and that some people from neighboring counties sometimes dump items at county collection points, which complicates monitoring. "People dump their property on somebody else's property and making a mess on the county right ways ... so we going to be pretty forceful a lot more forceful on that this year than we have in the past," he said.

On costs and operations, Hutchins said the county uses inmate crews and has cut some contracting: "Previously we have had to contract out some help ... we use a rolloff truck at the landfill ... we've had to hire some part-time help in the past ... the inmate program saves us some money there too," he said. He provided an approximate annual program figure: "it's several thousand I would say close to $50,000 a year but I don't know if it's that much or not; I have to go back and look," characterizing the number as provisional.

Hutchins said the county will continue to evaluate scheduling (weather affects when residents can place items) and may rotate pickup times next year to account for seasonal access. He also urged residents to contact county offices with concerns about illegal dumping or missed pickups.

Next steps: Hutchins said the county will assess program costs and report back with a precise figure and may adjust pickup schedules based on weather and demand.