JACKSON, Miss. (WJTV) – Jackson City Councilmembers said it was time for the mayor to issue a request for proposals (RFP) for garbage collection.
Some councilmen said they were not pleased with how Mayor Chokwe A. Lumumba handled the status of the city’s garbage collection over the last 18 months.
Councilman Kenneth Stokes, Ward 3, said the mayor had the lowest bidder locked in a couple of years ago, but he turned it down.
Councilman Ashby Foote, Ward 1, said the mayor’s decision to operate outside the RFP process hasn’t served the city well.
“We need to follow the law, and the mayor’s had a hard time with that over the past 18 months regarding a garbage contract. Because he wants to get his way, and he doesn’t want the Council to have a voice. It’s the only conclusion I can come to,” said Foote.
“If they had accepted the lowest and best bid like the state law requires, then we would have had a company in for 10 years. We wouldn’t be thinking about trying to offer another RFP. We wouldn’t even be talking about the prices might go up,” said Stokes.
Lumumba said he will issue an RFP on or before November 21, 2023.
