The Jackson City Council has agreed to pay Richard’s Disposal a day after the company said it would halt garbage collection, both WLBT and WAPT reported Friday.

The TV stations reported that the news of this settlement, which pays the company $4.8 million for work it’s done since April, temporarily prolongs the city’s trash collection. This comes after Richard’s Disposal sued the city over unpaid services.

On Thursday, the company said it would stop picking up Jackson’s garbage after Saturday, after the city council refused to pay the company.

The reports Friday cite attorneys for the city council, Deshun Martin and John Scanlon, as confirming the settlement. Mississippi Today, however, reached out to both Councilwoman Virgi Lindsay and Jackson spokesperson Justin Vicory on Friday afternoon, and neither could confirm the reports.

Lindsay told Mississippi Today that the council agreed during an executive session Thursday to negotiate with Richard’s Disposal up to the reported settlement amount, but said she wasn’t aware that the agreement took place.

The dispute among city officials over which garbage collector to hire continues to drag on after Jackson’s contract with Waste Management expired in September 2021. Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba has repeatedly called on city council members to approve a contract with Richard’s, arguing that the company would be able to save the city money. The city council continually voted against doing so, however, questioning the need to move away from Waste Management.

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