All nine members of the County Commission have asked local judges to reinstate the inmate litter pickup program.
Their letter says:
Honorable Hamilton County Judges and Staff:
Please accept this letter as an official request to reinstate the inmate litter cleanup program in Hamilton County.
Litter is a growing problem and we’ve noticed a big change since the state ended the inmate clean-up program that utilized prison inmates to pick up trash along our roads.
Commissioners are formally requesting that program be re-instated.
We are asking for your immediate attention to the increasing problems of roadside trash across our area. The persistent accumulation of litter along our roadways has gone unchecked and grown to critical proportions in many spots. Citizens are feeling a growing sense of stress, anxiety and hopelessness seeing our once beautiful streets tarnished by enormous amounts of trash. This accumulation of garbage also presents an ecological hazard as it is washed into our creeks and waterways.
Throughout our areas there have been small group efforts to remove trash as best we can and citizens are happy to continue these efforts. However, students and other untrained citizens can only do so much, especially along the higher traffic areas that are seeing some of the worst accumulation of garbage
Please reinstate much needed assistance to combat this ever growing problem, truly effecting Hamilton County’s citizen’s quality of life.
Very truly yours,
Randy Fairbanks Warren Mackey Sabrena Smedley, Chairman
D.C. (Chip) Baker Katherlyn Geter Tim Boyd, Pro Tempore
Greg Martin David Sharpe Steve Highlander