JACKSBORO, TN (WLAF) – The Campbell County Commission met via the internet through a Zoom meeting on Monday evening. Discussion on whether or not to renew a tire waste disposal contract and the submission of a litter control grant topped the agenda.

The county’s tire waste disposal contract was discussed at length. The monthly cost of the contract is set to nearly double, according to commissioners, who said they were looking into alternate options to save the county money. The cost for the monthly disposal of the county’s tires is approximately $1,800 a month. Under the new contract, that cost would double to around $4,000. Commissioners Ralph Davis and Rusty Orick each said they had been looking into the possibility of the county purchasing a machine that would grind the tires up in-house to be taken care of.  New, the machine would cost around $175,000, but would save the county money in the end. A used machine can cost around $100,000. Commissioners had to vote Monday night on whether or not to renew and decided to move forward with the understanding that the county can cancel the contract renewal without any legal issues as long as it is done within the first 60 days. This gives the county more time to look into other options.

County attorney Joe Coker suggested the county check into a lease agreement on one of the tire grinding machines to see if it “would work for the county’s needs,” before locking into a purchase agreement.

“We are in a rock and a hard place with this price doubling, but even with the new price he’s giving us, it’s not close to what we were paying to Liberty five or six years ago,” Orick said. Commissioners said they would continue to look into the cost effectiveness of the tire grinding machine.

Other business included the vote to sell a surplus back hoe, as well as the vote to purchase three chairs to replace dilapidated ones.  Commissioners voted to establish an ad hoc infrastructure committee for the county as well. Members of the committee will include all members of the county commission.

Commissioners also discussed a litter control grant that the county applies for each year for $48,700 from the state. There was some confusion about two different versions of the grant application being drafted and which was the correct draft. To make sure the correct draft was submitted, commissioners eventually voted to table discussion on the litter control grant until Thursday, May 21 at 5:30 pm, via a Zoom meeting.  Additionally, there will be an online county budget and finance meeting on Thursday at 6 pm.  (WLAF NEWS PUBLISHED – 05/19/2020-6AM)

One Reply to “County’s monthly tire disposal costs will double under new contract”

  1. The county promised me that they would remove the tires from my property over 20 years ago. There are thousands of tires on the property and I was told that it was the worse they had seen. These are an environmental hazard and need to be removed as promised. I’ve lived in Campbell County for 89 years and would like to see the county remove them.

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