The Long County Commission voted at its meeting last week to renew a contract for trash pickup with Republic Waste Services. Chairman Robert Long said the annual fee for poly carts will be $156 per resident. The cost for Dumpsters will vary, depending on the amount of waste collected. The county will bill residents for the poly-cart fee, but Republic Waste
Services will bill for the Dumpsters. The contract was renewed for one year.
Long also said the mold removal and cleanup at the courthouse is going well, and crews are on track to finish the work by March 15. Though the process is ongoing, Long said that all courthouse offices are fully staffed and operating. Traces of mold recently were discovered in the building, which was closed for one week during the holidays for major work. Serclean, a Savannah-based mold-testing and cleanup contractor, is doing the work.
The commission adopted revisions to the county’s personnel handbook. According to Long, the commission chairman’s power has been decreased and diverted back to the commissioners. The commission also adopted job descriptions for all county employees. The handbook and job descriptions are available at the courthouse for public viewing.
The commission tightened its control on credit-card use and now requires that all department cards remain secure in the commissioners’ office. When a card is needed, it will be signed out. Long said all expenditure invoices will require a purchase-order number.
Long told the commission that the Long State Prison inmate work crew is keeping the county clean. It picked up 2,260 pounds of trash in November and 1,080 pounds in December.
Commissioners discussed the possibility of establishing a county ordinance to enforce a requirement that homeowners place address markers at their residences. Long said the markers are required through the E-911 project, but many citizens still haven’t installed them. The markers help emergency responders find homes in the event of an emergency.
Long said the county website, www.longcountyboc.com, is active and contains county job vacancies, department information, upcoming events, contact information and Long County history.
The chairman reported that the resurfacing of Macedonia and Tibet roads is under way and will be 70 percent funded by the state and 30 percent funded by the county.
The commission re-elected Long as its chairman, and Kent Hall as it vice chairman for the upcoming year.