Hamilton County Mayor Weston Wamp and District Attorney General Coty Wamp are teaming up to dramatically ramp up public work days in an effort to clean up city, county, and state roadways.
Responding to frequent complaints from the public and inquiries from county commissioners, Mayor Wamp and District Attorney Wamp hope to double both the number of community service assignments as well as the miles of trash pickup completed in FY 2024.
“Since 2016, Hamilton County’s community service alternative sentencing program has steadily dropped to half of its prior levels, leaving many roads throughout our beautiful county littered with trash. I appreciate the District Attorney’s willingness to partner with county government to clean up our community while reducing overcrowding in the jail,” said Mayor Wamp. “We were elected to bring a new approach into local government and that starts with doing the small things well. I want to thank County Commissioners Jeff Eversole, Steve Highlander, and others for bringing new attention to this issue in recent weeks.”
In September, Mayor Wamp first approached the District Attorney General about a partnership to solve the problem. In FY 2022, Hamilton County courts handed out 818 community service assignments which covered 3,136 miles. Through the partnership between the county mayor’s office and district attorney’s office, the new goal is to exceed 2,000 assignments for FY 2024 and double the mileage to 6,000. County officials will also reevaluate priority roadways in order to meet the expectations of agreements with the city of Chattanooga and the state of Tennessee while also addressing trash on county roads.
“Not all criminal offenders belong in the jail. My office will begin to offer more alternative sentencing for non-violent offenders in the form of litter pick up days,” said District Attorney Wamp. “Hamilton County already offers the public works program that allows low level offenders the opportunity to pick up litter on state highways and local roads instead of incarceration. As the District Attorney, I have asked my office to utilize this alternative sentencing program more often.”
“I’m glad to see any effort that will result in lessening the burden of an overcrowded jail. Very few of our citizens ought to be sentenced to spend time there,” said Public Defender Steve Smith. “Incarceration is dangerous, expensive and harmful to families, employers and taxpayers. Having less trash along the roadways is a pleasant ancillary benefit of rethinking over-incarceration.”
