GREENWOOD, Miss. ( Associated Press) — The city of Greenwood is in the midst of an “unprecedented” labor shortage, Mayor Carolyn McAdams said.
“We can’t get people to hire us,” she said. “We’ll hire someone, and they’ll work for a few days and just quit.”
Last year has been particularly difficult. He said public works, police and fire departments have been most affected, The Greenwood Commonwealth reported.
Public Works Director Susan Bailey said they were looking for four workers, a garbage truck driver and a garbage truck driver. The five garbage routes, which focus on lifting yard debris such as tree limbs and baggy leaves, could take up to a week to finish due to shortages, she said.
Regarding the lack of police, McAdams said the department has never experienced a shortage of officers available. The fire department is also facing similar problems.
“We are doing everything in our power to recruit,” she said. “We changed our budget so that we can hire at a different level of pay and get a very nice raise annually. It still isn’t holding these people up enough to get back to work.”
She said the police and fire action is not being affected, but the existing staff has had to fend for themselves. He said Police Chief Terence Craft has started using officers of higher rank for patrolling.
Fire Chief Marcus Banks said the current staff shortage had not yet affected operations because some people are working overtime and the command staff is being used for ground work.
McAdams said the city is advertising for summer work programs such as the Urban Youth Program, which are six-week commitments for applicants who are at least 16 years old.
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