By Shannon Wright
The Heflin Town Council meeting held Thursday, September 3, ran a little longer than usual, with much of the discussion centered around traffic cameras and trash collection.
After discussing the previously proposed traffic camera system with members of the community, the council decided not to move forward with implementing the cameras at this time.
While there are some who see potential benefits to the system, council members said the negative feedback from residents outweighed the positives. There were also concerns about how new the technology is, with only one other municipality in the state of Louisiana currently using the system.
Council member Matt Austin said he has spoken with numerous residents about the proposal and has received overwhelmingly negative feedback.
“I have talked to a bunch of different people in the community about it and I’ve gotten nothing but negative feedback,” Austin said.
With the traffic camera proposal now off the table, much of the meeting’s discussion turned to trash service.
Robert Sparks, a representative of RGC Disposal, was in attendance to present a proposal for the company to provide residential trash collection services throughout the Village of Heflin.
Under the proposal, RGC Disposal would become the sole residential trash service provider in Heflin, with the monthly fee being added directly to residents’ existing water bills. The proposal would increase the monthly water bill by $30, which would then include residential trash pickup.
According to Sparks, the idea is intended to reduce the number of heavy trucks traveling through town, potentially helping preserve Heflin’s roads while also reducing litter caused by trash falling from collection trucks.
“We’re trying to offer something to the town where they can make a little money but also where the roads aren’t being torn up so much and it’s cleaner for the town,” Sparks said.
The proposal, however, brought questions and concerns from council members, particularly regarding whether residents should be required to use a specific company and pay for the service regardless of whether they currently use residential trash pickup.
Austin said he would want to hear strong support from Heflin residents before agreeing to the proposal.
“It would have to come back to me from the public that they overwhelmingly want this for me to vote for it,” Austin said.
Austin also emphasized that preserving the character of Heflin is important to him when considering changes that affect the community.
“My view on Heflin is that we’ve got a good thing here and we don’t want to be Minden and we don’t want to be Sibley, we want to be Heflin,” he said.
Water operator Jessie Williams and members of the council agreed that the proposal deserves further discussion. No decision was made regarding the trash service proposal, and the matter will be discussed again at a future meeting.
There are still logistical questions to be addressed, and council members indicated that they want to hear from Heflin residents before making a final decision.
As with the traffic camera proposal, council members say community input will play an important role in determining whether the town moves forward.
Regular Heflin Town Council meetings are held on the first Thursday of each month at 7 p.m. Residents are encouraged to attend meetings and stay informed about issues and decisions affecting their community.