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VIDALIA, La. — The Concordia Parish police jury has reached an agreement with Hometown Waste sanitation company that will hopefully put an end to any remaining trash collection issues in the parish.

During its Monday meeting, the police jury discussed changing the number of households in the contract from 4,300 to 5,084.

At a rate of $15.23 per household, this costs the parish just under $12,000 more each month for trash collection.

The number discrepancy was settled after a ride around the parish, which determined that 784 households needed to be added to the parish’s garbage contract, police jury president Collin Edwards said.

“I think we’ve been using that number (4,300) for 25 years,” Edwards said. “There is a lot of new housing on the south end of the parish toward Monterey and up on the lakes. We tried several different ways (to update it) looking at 911 and water meters. But it was just a mess across the board.”

Two parish employees rode the trash collection route with Hometown Waste to come to an agreement on which houses should be added to resolve the issue.

To cut costs, the prior administration subcontracted Hometown Waste through Concordia Parish Sheriff’s in July 2021 after terminating its contract with Waste Pro.

Additionally, two disposal bins and a used garbage truck were purchased for approximately $140,000 so that residents could utilize disposal sites located in Frogmore and Monterey.

In other matters the new police jury board, which was sworn in at its Jan. 8 meeting, discussed revisiting the list of boards and commissions that the parish oversees and sending each of them letters requesting an update on their members as well as when each of their members’ terms expire.

Boards and commissions oversee a variety of services in the parish, such as the libraries, the hospital, recreation, fire protection, water and sewer.

The police jury board also chooses from among its members committee members focused on different aspects of parish business. The new committees are as follows:

• Finance, economic development and IT committee is chaired by Adam Probst and also includes Maurice Bachus and Wilbert Washington.
• Courthouse, hospital, airport, recreation and waterways committee is chaired by Cornell Lewis and also includes Kale Davis and Kenny Simpson.
• Personnel, policy, insurance, taxes, and licenses committee is chaired by Red Tiffee and also includes Cornell Lewis and Genesia Allen.
• Public works, solid waste, water, fire and sewerage committee is chaired by Kenny Simpson and also includes Red Tiffee and Maurice Bachus.
• Grants and special projects committee is chaired by Maurice Bachus and also includes Adam Probst and Wilbert Washington.
• Boards and committees committee is chaired by Genesia Allen and also includes Kale Davis and Maurice Bachus.