Inmate crews also requested
BY MARK J. CRAWFORD
Bradford commissioners continue to consider how to keep up with road maintenance and beautification, and they are also sounding off about the need for litter enforcement measures.
Much of the discussion in the county commissioner’s first budget workshop last week centered on a five-year forecast of capital costs. (See related story.) Commissioners were also asked to think about whether they want to hire additional public works employees for mowing, weed eating and litter cleanup (plus road and ditch work in the off season to prepare for summer).
Commissioners have previously addressed understaffing and the inability to get this work done in a timely manner. As of a meeting last September, the road department had 13 employees to cover the entire county. Chief Deputy Clerk Rachel Rhoden told the board it takes a month to cover road maintenance in Districts 4 and 5, the county’s largest districts. Hiring four new employees at $17 an hour would add around $229,000 a year to the county’s budget. No additional equipment would be needed.
Commissioner Carolyn Spooner asked about hiring part-time workers, but Rhoden said finding those workers is difficult.
“The challenge is it’s hard to find temporary, seasonal workers. We have tried to go out in the past for that. Folks are interested in full time jobs. They’re interested in benefits,” she said, adding seasonal workers also tend to be less careful in their care of county equipment.
County Manager Scott Kornegay said it’s not easy find full-time employees for that work either.
Commissioner Danny Riddick offered his own formula of two to three employees and two new mowers for increased roadside maintenance.
“Otherwise, you all know, when it comes mowing season … we’re going to four foot high because they just can’t keep up,” he said. “If we want to keep the citizens from ringing our horn off the hook, we probably really ought to look into getting two batwing mowers and at least two additional employees.”
Commissioner Diane Andrews said aside from avoiding complaints, it’s about Bradford County’s image.
“We are trying to bring people into our community, and when we’re trying to draw them in, naturally the condition of our roadsides and everything is part of that. There’s no way he can keep up, no possible way with the staff that he has,” she said of Public Works Director Jason Dodds.
That’s why Andrews has advocated for requesting prison inmate crews. She said having an employee monitor a crew of three inmates would accomplish more than a single employee trying to pick up litter and mow. She suggested two new employees could supervise this additional manpower.
“If we could get three inmates for each one, the amount of work we could get done would be awesome and a whole lot better than what we’re doing now,” she said.
Kornegay said Dodds has been communicating with Lawtey Correctional about inmate crews.
Struggle to stop litter
Tackling one need, led to discussion of another. Whether thrown from a vehicle or blown out of the back of a truck or trailer, commissioners are fed up with the amount of litter on county roads, especially approaching county dumpsites.
Riddick said the county needs to consider, if possible, making it mandatory that vehicles entering the collection sites have their trash covered.
Commissioner Chris Dougherty said Marion County has cracked down through its “No Horsin’ Around” campaign. According to its website, Marion County spent more than $900,000 removing 1.3 million pounds of litter in 2020. In addition to public education, penalties were put in place, including a $150 fine for first violations, $300 along with up to 10 days of jailtime or community service for a second violation, with additional violations tacking on additional jailtime.
Dougherty wondered why anti-litter signage was up if the county wasn’t enforcing it, but at the same time he said requiring vehicles to be covered would force employees to take the heat for turning people away.
“It’s going to take — and I think somebody on this board said it before — hitting people in the wallet until they realize that’s not appropriate,” he said of both litter and vandalism of county roads and ditches.
Additional patrols have been requested, but unless address or other identifying information can be found, there is no way to trace the source, said Riddick, who also pointed out problems with illegal dumping.
“I would like to know the hours that our road department spends just picking up trash. I bet it would just blow our minds. And that’s just wasted time,” he said.
The next budget workshop is set for March 4 at 10:30 a.m. alongside the commission’s regular meeting.
