County gets tough on junk cars

Marshall County is not going to be the dumping ground for wrecked vehicles and household garbage.

The board of supervisors is monitoring dumps containing used tires, new lots filling up with wrecked vehicles out of Tennessee, and household garbage thrown on the roadsides and in ditches.

Zoning director Ken Jones reported some good news. A property on Lee Creek Road was cleaned up of tall grass, and old vehicles were tagged on a lot on Lawler Lane.

Jones reported several wrecked vehicles with Ten­nessee tags turned up on Lot 208 of Lake Drive off Clark Road and the vehicles were “bleeding over” onto Lot 204.

“Lot 208 looks terrible,” said supervisor Keith Taylor. “It looks like the guy is buying and selling junk cars.”

About 40 junk cars were found on the lot, he said.

Jones said letters had been sent to the lot owner, but he had not cooperated.

“They are all wrecked and have Tennessee tags,” Jones said.

The board of supervisors passed a motion to proceed with cleanup orders.

Robert Burke, with the county rubbish pit, reported finding lots of illegally dumped household solid waste.

Supervisor Ronnie Joe Bennett recommended that when the person is identified as the source of illegal dumping, he wants the individual to be notified and told they need to clean it up or they will be prosecuted.

Supervisor Keith Taylor concurred.

He added that whole pickups full of garbage are being found dumped.

They discussed a hypothetical situation where an elderly person had asked someone to carry out her garbage and it had been dumped improperly.

Supervisor Charles Terry said seniors who cannot take their garbage to curbside can ask for back-door service.

Jones said the first thing zoning does is look to see if the person identified has a household garbage service account.

“A lot of it is coming out of the cities,” he added.

“And other counties, too,” Bennett said.

Jones reported that Lot 204 Lake Drive owners have been notified. The bank that was foreclosing will clean it up, he said.

Supervisors offered to extend the cleanup period to the January 2, 2018, meeting.

“I think the bank will have theirs done,” Jones said.

Terry asked if those dropping off wrecked cars will be given the same offer as the county gives someone who is penalized for illegal garbage – that is a phone call.

Jones said the people had been notified since Oct. 4.

The board ordered advertising for bids for cleanup on both lots in case the cars have not been moved by January 2.

Chancery clerk Chuck Thomas suggested people be charged for the publication fee for lot cleanup because it still costs the county money to advertise for bids.

The supervisors voted to pass on the cost of advertising to lot owners as well as the cost to clean up a lot.

Attorney Kent Smith suggested the bids for lot cleanup be tabled until people have a chance to comply with orders. The board can reject all bids if the person cleans up their lot, he said. All costs associated with advertising, however, could be assessed to the lot owner.

Smith suggested that the new procedure begin as things move forward, rather than be retroactive.

Bids

State Aid engineer Jerry Gilliland opened bids on two projects – a countywide microsurfacing project and a scrub seal project on Marianna Road and Wall Hill Road.

Two companies bid on the countywide resurfacing bid: C.L. Wallace Construction ($2,193,921 plus addendum) and Vance Brothers of Kansas City, Mo.

The Vance Brothers bid was not read because a required addendum had not been included. It was classified as an irregular bid and not accepted.

The bid was taken under advisement.

Two companies bid on the Marianna Road/Wall Hill Road project.

Kines and Stone bid $379,240 and Lehman Roberts bid $374,921.

The bids were taken under advisement.

In the December 18 meeting of the board of supervisors, the board passed a motion to reject bids and to rebid the projects.