While the Lone Star State has long been identified by its “Don’t Mess with Texas” anti-littering campaign, Sequoyah County Commissioners would like to see a similar hard-nosed approach implemented in Oklahoma.
The commissioners at their Monday meeting last week took a stand on littering, giving the green light to law enforcement to levy penalties on those whose trash ends up on the county landscape.
The trash talking arose when Sequoyah County Undersheriff Charles House expounded on the sheriff ’s office’s request to apply for a Department of Environmental Quality grant.
“That’s the same grant we’ve got in the past. It’s for going out and cleaning up roadways, putting signs out. It worked out pretty good [in the past],” House told the commissioners.
Then the undersheriff pointed out that the reason county roadways must be cleaned up is because of littering and unauthorized dumping sites.
“It’s going to end up being a deal where we’re gonna have to start charging some of these people, investigating some of these dumps and actually charging them for it,” House said. “I know that sounds petty charging for littering, but …” “I don’t think it’s petty at all. I’m all for that,” District 3 Commissioner Jim Rogers said in support of issuing fines to offenders. “Write ’em a ticket. If you’re gonna be a litter bug … it’s sad.”
District 2 Commissioner Beau Burlison agreed, echoing a chorus from those attending the meeting.
“It’s just your household trash you’re throwing out there,” Burlison said. “If your mail is in there three times, you see this guy’s … it’s just ridiculous.”
Rogers also spoke on behalf of those who embraced the indignation.
“When you stop to get gas, there’s a trash can right there,” he said, using fast-food refuse as an example. “Put it in the trash can. It’s just being lazy. Just a little effort behind it.”
The commissioners unanimously approved the request to apply for the DEQ grant.
In other business at the weekly meeting, the commissioners affirmed their decision from the previous week by approving a resolution to donate office furniture and equipment from Sequoyah County Emergency Management (SCEM) to the Sequoyah County Fire Training Center.
“It’s gonna kinda help clear that building out a little bit,” Heath Orabanec told the commissioners, referencing office space being vacated by SCEM in the old Agent Funeral Home as a prelude to the building being replaced with the construction of a new courthouse annex.
“There’s some tables and chairs that will save us from having to purchase anything out there right now for the fire training facility,” said Orabanec, fire chief for Sequoyah County Rural Fire Protection District #1. “So if you guys are OK with approving the surplus stuff that Jonathan Teague’s got to try to figure out how to store somewhere anyway, we’re just gonna pick up the dead horse and take it another 10 miles and use it out there for a little bit longer. I think there’s a refrigerator and microwave and stuff that’ll be beneficial to save us from having to spend some money out there right now since we just are about finishing that building.”
The county commissioners meet Mondays at 10 a.m. in the Sequoyah County Courthouse.
