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City Council considers Waste South LLC license, warns of unlicensed haulers and gaps in enforcement
Summary
At a public hearing, the City Council heard from Waste South LLC and local haulers on an occupational tax certificate; council members agreed any approval should be conditioned on ordinance compliance and stressed the need for stronger code enforcement against unlicensed haulers.
The City Council opened a public hearing on an application from Waste South LLC for an occupational tax certificate to provide commercial and residential garbage collection and heard testimony from the applicant and current licensed providers.
Justin, the applicant, told the council he applied in March and said the review had taken eight months though the paperwork indicated a 30-day turnaround. “Eight months ago I applied for this permit… the paperwork said 30 days — we’re eight months in,” he said, urging the council to approve Waste South so citizens would have an approved provider rather than relying on unlicensed operators.
Council members discussed a contingency in the packet agreement that would allow Waste South to replace an existing licensed hauler only if the outgoing provider surrendered its permit, keeping the city within the ordinance cap of three permitted haulers. Council members agreed that approving a new provider could be conditioned on the surrender of an existing permit to remain compliant with the ordinance.
Several council members and staff raised concerns about unlicensed haulers operating inside the city limits. One council member said the city had issued cease-and-desist letters and believed multiple operators were noncompliant. Isaiah Allen of All Disposal, a licensed provider, said he supported enforcement against illegal operators and that licensed companies pay taxes and follow rules: “I would rather see you have 10 providers giving their money to y’all than 18 people that’s stealing from y’all,” he said.
Councilors acknowledged that code enforcement capacity is limited; members discussed issuing citations and bringing violators before municipal court and said the council needs to secure and clarify the ordinance before robust enforcement can occur. Staff suggested hiring or assigning a dedicated code-enforcement officer to manage violations and recommended the council review the ordinance in a future meeting or a special session.
The council did not take final action on Waste South at the hearing; members said they would review the packet, consider conditioning approval on permit surrender, and pursue ordinance revisions and enforcement steps before finalizing licensing decisions.
The council then moved on to other agenda items. The hearing closed with no recorded formal vote on Waste South’s application the same evening.
