Hearing set for garbage rate changes

The City of Corinth is considering an increase to residential garbage rates.

The Board of Mayor and Aldermen set a public hearing for the regular Dec. 19 meeting. The options that are being considered will be disclosed and discussed at that time.

City officials say more revenue is needed for the garbage fund to continue to sustain itself. The fund has seen a downturn since the city stopped handling commercial garbage collection.

One of the possible changes mentioned at last week's meeting is a discount on a second garbage cart for those who chose to rent an extra one.

"We're just trying to give people a little incentive to get an extra polycart and put their boxes or extra trash in there instead of just laying it out to be blown around or not getting picked up," said Public Works Director Clayton Mills.

In other business before the board last week:

Aldermen approved the police department's purchase of body cameras from 10-8 Video at a cost of $19,857.60.

The board approved the police department's purchase of traffic monitoring cameras for the Highway 72 intersections at South Harper Road, Cass Street and Alcorn Drive at a cost of $17,160. The purchase is covered by grant funding.

Police Chief Landon Tucker said the cameras will allow dispatchers to view the intersections to provide better information when a wreck has occurred rather than relying on second-hand information. The cameras will not be used for issuing citations.

Aldermen appointed Terry Gramling to an open seat on the Corinth-Alcorn County Airport Board of Directors. Gramling replaces Lynn Lamb.

Building Inspector Greg Tyson reported building permits in the recently ended fiscal year had total investments of $17,446,532, a figure that is on par with the previous year.

The board voted to continue with the same health insurance provider, Cigna, after reviewing a few options.

In property cleanup, the board adjudicated one address, 1803 Proper Street, for grass cleanup, and gave a 60-day continuance for the vacant Wallace commercial property on East Shiloh Road. The owners have boarded up the property and posted it for sale.

The board gave a two-week continuance for 1700 Proper Street and 30-day continuances for 1401 Douglas Street, 16 Franklin Drive, 1538 Tate Street, and the old cabinet shop property on Proper Street.

The board approved a lease agreement with ACE Power for the proposed electric vehicle charging station to be located in the parking lot behind City Hall.