After years of growing illegal dumping issues, the City of Alice and Jim Wells County are working together on a new plan to clean up neighborhoods and hold violators accountable.
KRIS 6 News has covered illegal dumping in Jim Wells County three times in the last two years, and the problem has only gotten worse. City and county leaders outlined their strategy to address the persistent issue.
"It got out of hand, a little bit, with the residential because we did allow mixed debris once a year and we did allow the brush twice a year," said Alice Mayor Cynthia Carrasco.
Carrasco said illegal dumping has been a growing problem for years, made worse by recent weather events.
"Then, we had the storms. We had the freeze. So everything has accumulated. So, now we're trying to get a handle on it," Carrasco said.
Precinct Four Commissioner Wicho Gonzalez said some of the illegal dumping isn't even from people in the Jim Wells County area.
"We have to do something different than what we've done for the past 30 years cause it hasn't worked that good. So we need to change it. I'm sure the city doesn't want to fine anybody. We don't want to fine anybody. We just want you to follow the change of rules that we're doing," Gonzalez said.
The city received temporary assistance from an outside company to help with trash pickup, but now they've created a new plan in partnership with Jim Wells County.
Under the new plan, the county will help with any pickup if the city needs extra assistance. Brush pickup will only happen in certain months, and pickup dates will depend on the neighborhood residents live in.
All other trash must be taken by residents to the landfill. Those who don't comply will be given a notice to correct the problem within 72 hours. If they don't, they'll receive a fine of up to $500.
"It is a criminal offense. There's class c misdemeanors - where it starts. Depending on the value, of the amount that's dumped, it can lead to higher charges," said Patrick Thomas, who oversees code enforcement.
Thomas said officials have also redefined what "brush," "trash" and "debris" are so residents know what they can put out and what they can't.
Officials said if they don't enforce the ordinances, they'll never get their neighborhoods cleaned up.
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