LITTLE ROCK – Mayor Frank Scott, Jr. today ordered mandatory overtime for City of Little Rock Public Works and Fleet department employees to address issues related to delayed pickup of yard waste in some Little Rock neighborhoods.

The overtime directive coincides with the Little Rock Board of Directors’ decision last week to use one-time, contingency funds to purchase five new sanitation trucks. Both measures will help the City eliminate any future delays.

Recent suspensions of yard waste pickup were because of mechanical problems with trucks in the City’s aging fleet. Yard waste collections were delayed as available trucks were diverted to handle daily garbage routes.

“Our Public Works and Fleet departments have done excellent work to maintain trash pickup schedules despite issues with trucks that were beyond their control. Unfortunately, they’ve had to reprioritize yard waste collection because of that,” Mayor Scott said. “New trucks are on the way, and schedules will be back to normal in a few weeks. Until then, we are authorizing seven-day-a-week, mandatory overtime until we catch up on yard waste collection.”

The new sanitation trucks should be delivered within the next 30-45 days. The City is planning to buy another two new trucks later this month, which would add seven vehicles to the inventory. The trucks costs about $400,000 each.

Trash collection in Little Rock is funded by monthly fees to residential customers. The truck purchases and related overtime pay will not impact residential trash rates.

“It is our commitment to Little Rock residents to provide the quality City services they pay for and deserve,” Mayor Scott said. “We are taking care of this issue, and we are focused on ensuring we have the resources and vehicles we need to avoid delays like this in the future.”

Residents experiencing yard-waste delays are encouraged to notify 311 through the 311 app, on the City’s website or by calling 311.