Clayton County will no longer have a department dedicated to keeping the south metro Atlanta community clean.
In a 3-2 vote Tuesday, County Commission leaders abolished its “Keep Clayton Clean and Beautiful Program,” an almost two-year-old initiative that the narrow majority of board members said was ineffective and never demonstrated that it was worth the $150,000 dedicated to its operations.
“Nothings getting done,” Commissioner Sonna Singleton Gregory said. “Honestly, I can’t go back out there to the taxpayers and explain to them how we’re spending $150,000 and they just rode past all this trash.”
The decision comes as Clayton County is looking for ways to tighten its belt as the economy continues to struggle and consumer spending has slowed as residents face job losses or cuts to work hours.
Commissioner DeMont Davis, who opposed nixing the program, said the board had not given the initiative adequate time to prove it could succeed, especially as COVID-19 made it difficult to operate in 2020. He also said he was concerned about staffers losing their jobs during a recession and raging pandemic.
“This initiative is an asset to our county,” he said. “And for us to begin to look at eliminating this and also eliminating a job during the COVID season, I believe is a little bit insensitive in moving this county forward.”
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