The Lincoln County Board of Supervisors officially announced itsintention to withdraw from the Southwest Solid Waste Authority bypassing a resolution to that effect Monday.

The move was expected following a meeting last week by membersof the authority with county and city officials.

“It’s been ineffective. It just doesn’t work,” said CountyEngineer Carl Ray Furr.

The county entered into the authority with nine other counties10 years ago in an effort to control and drive down rising garbagecosts.

Every 10 years, the Department of Environmental Quality requiresthose plans to be updated and resubmitted for approval, but duringthe reevaluation officials began to question the need for theauthority.

Instead, supervisors are leaning toward a plan proposed by Furrthat would include only Lincoln and Pike Counties.

“In about two years, you can lower the rates significantly,”Furr said, citing an agreement in north Mississippi where ratesdropped by 30 percent. The system works that way because you haveone authority and one volume. It’s all based on volume.”

Lincoln County would be the “lead horse” in the new authority,Furr said, and by adding Pike County to it they could double thenumber of households and demand a lower price.

“Instead of getting a price on 30,000 households, we’d get aprice on 60,000 households,” added District Three Supervisor NolanEarl Williamson.

The board approved Furr to apply for a DEQ Solid Waste PlanningGrant.

Furr and Charles Burke, Lincoln County’s representative to theauthority, will remain as the supervisors’ representatives on solidwaste management.

Jimmy Furlow is expected to continue to represent the city, Furrsaid.

In other matters, the board accepted the low bid of $168,000 byOddee Smith Construction of Brookhaven to replace a deficientbridge on Auburn Drive with a box culvert.

“It’s a good thing (State Aid) is doing — going to these boxculverts,” said District Four Supervisor W.D. “Doug” Moak. “There’sa lot less maintenance and no pilings to go bad.”

The pilings on the present bridge were rotting, he said, andwere one of the major factors leading to the bridge’sreplacement.

The replacement of a box culvert is also probably cheaper thancoming back with another bridge, Moak said.

“It makes the roads stay closed a little longer to allow timefor the concrete to set, but it’s cheaper and more economical,” hesaid.

Work on the bridge is expected to begin in the next 90 days andhas been contracted to be completed within 180 days.

“Weather permitting, it’ll be done much quicker than that,” Moaksaid. “We should be able to do it with closing Auburn Driveonly.”