Hickman County TN

Righteousness exalteth a nation: but sin is a reproach to any people. Proverbs 14:34

Solid Waste Committee · Meeting · Jan 5, 2026

Mon, Jan 5, 2026

Guides landfill operations, recycling, convenience centers, and collection policies for household and commercial waste across the county.

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Outline

This outline was generated by an LLM from a transcript and may contain errors or inaccuracies. Prefer the original recording when available.

The committee’s main substantive actions were to approve financials, authorize a tougher collections step on delinquent solid-waste accounts, and change which truck will be sent to auction. Members discussed a large backlog of unpaid old accounts, agreed to use the county attorney’s demand letter for accounts of $500 or more rather than the originally proposed $1,000 threshold, and heard that staff are first screening accounts for collectibility before escalation. The committee also reversed course on an earlier surplus decision, keeping the 2014 Western Star and instead surplusing the 2005 Mack after staff argued the older truck has more operational issues.

Other notable threads included December receipts and fund balance, repair-driven expense overruns and a planned budget amendment, landfill survey accounting, transfer-station traffic flow after Christmas, diversion and recycling performance, yearly billing and collections totals, a proposed late-penalty policy for exempt properties, a resident’s appeal over a missed bill mailing and waived late fee, and a brief report on a break-in that netted only $180 in petty cash and inmate lunch money.

Call to Order and Approval Items 0:00

  • 0:00 Roll call showed 5 present and 3 absent at the start, with a quorum established.
  • 0:35 Agenda approved by motion and second without controversy.
  • 2:34 Minutes approved as written by motion and second without controversy.

Department / Official Reports

Solid Waste Director report and financials 2:46

  • 2:58 Trustee’s report showed $141,063.65 received in December and an ending balance of $876,255.26.
  • 3:39 Revenue report from the finance office showed revenues generally running above budget.
    • 4:04 One exception was the “rental boxes” line for county dumpsters placed at homes. The director said the county has largely stopped marketing that service because several private operators now provide it, and the county can still receive disposal revenue without handling the trucking.
  • 5:17 Expense report reflected heavy repair costs in November and December.
    • 5:17 The director said the department had a major breakdown on a truck, another major breakdown on a track loader, and additional normal wear-and-tear repairs on the loader.
    • 5:48 He said he expects to bring a budget amendment later in the fiscal year to move money out of line 335 and into line 336 to cover repair pressure, though he believes the department is okay for now.
  • 6:08 Members discussed an accounting mistake involving line 399 and a landfill survey.
    • 6:15 The department surveyed remaining landfill space.
    • 6:34 The director said the charge had been expected to come from line 791 (“other construction”), but had to be booked instead under contracted services, causing that line to exceed budget.
    • 6:41 He said the fix will be a budget transfer from line 791, which is under budget, into the contracted-services line.
    • 7:19 He noted the landfill-space survey is required once every 3 years.
  • 7:32 The director reported “East” construction work was complete.
  • 7:42 Members raised complaints about traffic backing up at the site.
    • 7:50 The director said staff ran both compactors on Saturday and had no further problems.
    • 8:28 With construction complete, he said the next step is adjusting personnel assignments and site operations.
    • 8:41 He added that a new employee has committed to helping residents unload, which should speed lines.
    • 9:25 He explained that the site historically avoided running two lanes because it only had 2 compactors; with 3 compactors now available, staff can run 2 lanes and still have a backup while waiting on haul trucks.
    • 9:51 He said the main remaining reason not to run both lanes is staffing and monitoring what customers are putting into the containers.
  • 10:04 Committee approved the financials by motion, second, and roll-call vote.
    • 10:25 Roll call recorded yes votes from Jim Herron, Matthew Barnhill, Steve Gianakos, Dusty Jordan, Devin Pickard, and Ricky Murray; the transcript indicates approval without opposition among those called.

Recycling, surplus revenue, and diversion 10:47

  • 10:47 The director said Perry County sheep sales had a dip in surplus revenue between August and November, but increasing the Class I fee restored that surplus revenue to prior levels.
  • 11:08 Two tonnage reports, for November and December, were presented.
  • 11:22 The director highlighted sales of multiple recyclable streams, especially plastic and glass in addition to cardboard.
    • 11:34 He credited a strong recycling-center employee and said the operation is doing a good job handling what the public brings in.
    • 11:50 He also said the county is likely still missing additional recyclable glass and cans that residents are not separating out.
  • 12:08 The state diversion-rate report showed 59% diversion.
    • 12:21 The director said that if the county did no recycling and did not operate a Class III landfill, and if industrial recyclables were instead disposed of as trash, the county’s bill would be roughly $1 million higher.
    • 12:46 He noted the state minimum is 25% before intervention concerns begin.
  • 12:53 A member raised a possible state-grant or legislative recycling initiative for rural counties.
    • 14:02 The director said he had seen discussion of the “Waste to Jobs Act,” which would create a state board funded by contributions from major corporations and distribute recycling money to counties.
    • 14:47 No action was taken; the member said he would gather more information and follow up.

Director report on billing and collections 15:30

  • 15:30 The director noted the Martin Luther King Jr. Day holiday, correcting the date to January 19.
  • 16:03 Annual billing and collections figures were reviewed.
    • 16:03 The department billed $1,040,940.
    • 16:09 It collected $845,887.60.
    • 16:15 Unpaid at year-end was stated as $242,486.65.
    • 16:27 The director said cutting that unpaid amount in half gives a rough sense of the original billed amount because late fees effectively double the debt owed.
    • 16:46 He said the amount resolved by the end of December was 88%.
  • 17:03 Members clarified that the collections figure includes late fees, so it cannot simply be added back to infer original principal; exemptions and late fees complicate the comparison.
  • 17:51 This item was informational only, with no vote requested.

Unfinished Business

Old delinquent accounts and collections letter 17:58

  • 18:04 Staff presented a year-by-year breakdown of old unpaid solid-waste debt.
    • 18:18 Amounts prior to 2007 were grouped together, covering 1993 to 2007.
    • 18:35 Total “old money” owed was reported as $773,769.38.
  • 18:46 The director said some of that debt is not collectible because it is tied to liens on properties already sold at tax sales.
    • 19:05 Billing-office review had identified about $14,000 that should be written off.
    • 19:17 He said the county needs to verify collectibility before escalating collections efforts.
  • 19:23 The director said he had consulted County Attorney Dan Mecklenborg, who drafted a stronger demand letter.
  • 19:43 He asked whether the committee wanted to send that letter to people with balances over $1,000.
  • 20:35 Members discussed the fact that some debts already have judgments or liens in place, while staff has also been sending friendlier outreach letters to try to get people onto payment plans.
    • 21:05 The director said those friendlier letters had already produced some responses.
  • 21:40 A motion was made and seconded to approve the letter.
  • 22:04 During discussion, the threshold was amended from $1,000 down to $500.
    • 22:24 The director agreed with the lower threshold, though he said staff would likely start with the highest balances and work downward because screening accounts for collectibility is labor-intensive.
    • 23:05 He said it took about 2 weeks just to determine whether debts were collectible or uncollectible.
  • 23:16 Motion approved by roll-call vote, as amended, to use the county attorney’s letter for accounts of $500 or more.
    • 23:29 Roll call recorded yes votes from Jim Herron, Matthew Barnhill, Steve Gianakos, Dusty Jordan, Devin Pickard, Ricky Murray, and Becky Bates; the chair announced 6 yes, 2 absent, and passage, though the transcript’s count and names are not fully consistent.

Surplus vehicle change 23:45

  • 23:45 The committee revisited an earlier decision to surplus a 2014 Western Star truck.
  • 23:52 The director said staff urged him to keep the Western Star because it would likely bring the most money if sold, while the older 2005 Mack has more mechanical issues and is the more logical unit to remove from service.
  • 24:14 He requested action to remove the Western Star from the surplus list and instead surplus the 2005 Mack for auction.
  • 24:22 Motion made to remove the Western Star from surplus and add the Mack; second followed.
  • 24:45 Motion passed by voice vote without recorded opposition.

Proposed late-penalty resolution for exempt properties 25:39

  • 25:45 The director returned to prior discussion of a resolution applying a late penalty to exempt properties that fail to resolve their solid-waste bills on time.
  • 25:59 He said he had revised the proposed penalty to $30.
    • 26:08 His justification was consistency: on October 1 the county applies a $30 fee to everyone on day one, so matching that number avoids using a different amount for exempt properties.
  • 26:34 Members indicated general comfort with the revision.
  • 26:40 No final vote was taken at this meeting; the director said he would send the revised language to County Attorney Dan Mecklenborg for legal review and bring it back later.

Public Comments 27:01

Resident appeal over missed bill and late fee 27:01

  • 27:12 A resident said he received the bill in November but did not receive the July bill, blaming repeated mail-carrier issues and saying he often gets other people’s mail.
  • 27:32 He said he has always paid when bills arrive, has lived in Hickman County since 2006, and is a senior citizen on a fixed income with a small military pension.
  • 28:27 Members asked whether staff had reviewed his payment history; the director said he did not have that history in front of him.
  • 29:11 A member made a motion to waive the late fee if the resident was otherwise up to date; the motion received a second.
  • 29:22 Motion passed by voice vote.
  • 29:43 After clarifying that the resident had already paid the underlying bill and was contesting only the penalty, the chair told him the committee had waived the late fee and staff would handle it.

Announcements 25:09

  • 25:09 The next meeting date was set for February 2, the first Monday in February, after brief confusion over whether the holiday affected scheduling.

Other Discussion 31:04

Break-in and theft at the property 31:04

  • 31:10 A member asked about an audit-related note concerning a break-in at the property.
  • 31:15 The director said a former inmate broke in on November 24 at around 7:00.
    • 31:24 He reportedly threw a car jack through the scale-house window, took the safe, used the loader to smash it open, and got only $180.
    • 31:41 Of that, $30 was inmate lunch money and $150 was petty cash.
    • 31:49 The director said deposits were kept in a separate secure area, preventing a larger theft.
  • 32:02 He said authorities caught both the man and his brother, and that he testified in the case.
  • 32:26 He added that, because it was reportedly the man’s third offense, he is now serving serious time.

Adjournment 32:51

  • 32:51 Meeting adjourned by motion and second.

Key figures and statistics

Figure Type Context / topic Timestamp
5 present Attendance Members present at initial roll call 0:00
3 absent Attendance Members absent at initial roll call 0:00
$141,063.65 Revenue December receipts in trustee’s report 2:58
$876,255.26 Balance Ending balance 3:17
335 Budget line Source line mentioned for future budget amendment 5:48
336 Budget line Destination line mentioned for future budget amendment 5:53
399 Budget line Expense line discussed in accounting error review 6:08
791 Budget line “Other construction” line initially expected to cover landfill survey 6:27
3 years Time period Required interval for landfill remaining-space survey 7:19
2 compactors Equipment count Historical number that limited two-lane operations 9:32
3 compactors Equipment count Current number allowing two active lanes plus backup 9:37
2 lanes Operations Number of lanes now practical to run 9:45
August to November Time period Period when surplus revenue dipped 10:47
59% Percentage State-reported diversion rate 12:08
$1 million Cost avoidance estimate Approximate disposal cost avoided through diversion/recycling 12:29
25% Percentage threshold Minimum diversion level before state intervention concerns 12:46
January 19 Date Martin Luther King Jr. Day holiday correction 15:30
$1,040,940 Billing total Amount billed this year 16:03
$845,887.60 Collections total Amount collected this year 16:09
$242,486.65 Unpaid balance Remaining unpaid this year 16:15
$121,000 Approximate amount Rough principal represented after halving late-fee-inflated balance 16:40
88% Percentage Amount resolved by end of December 16:46
2007 Year Cutoff before which old debt was lumped together 18:18
1993 to 2007 Time span Oldest grouped debt years 18:18
$773,769.38 Debt total Total old unpaid solid-waste debt 18:35
$14,000 Write-off estimate Uncollectible amount already identified due to tax-sale situations 19:05
$1,000 Collections threshold Original proposed balance floor for sending attorney letter 19:48
$500 Collections threshold Amended and approved balance floor for sending attorney letter 22:04
2 weeks Time period Staff time cited to classify debts as collectible or uncollectible 23:05
2014 Vehicle year Western Star truck removed from surplus list 23:45
2005 Vehicle year Mack truck added to surplus list for auction 24:14
February 2 Date Next meeting date 25:09
$30 Penalty Revised proposed late fee for exempt properties 25:59
October 1 Date Existing date when a $30 fee is applied generally 26:08
2006 Year Resident’s stated move-in year to Hickman County 28:27
November 24 Date Date of reported break-in 31:15
7:00 Time Approximate time of reported break-in 31:15
$180 Theft amount Total cash reportedly stolen 31:34
$30 Cash amount Inmate lunch money included in theft 31:41
$150 Cash amount Petty cash included in theft 31:41
third offense Criminal-history count Director’s statement about repeat offense status 32:26