Dallas Sanitation Director Jay Council has resigned following a period of apparent dysfunction in his department after he implemented a schedule change to the City’s trash pickup system.
City Manager T.C. Broadnax announced Council’s resignation on Wednesday in an email sent to Mayor Johnson and the City Council, among other officials, according to The Dallas Morning News.
Council plans to leave Dallas and “will be transitioning out of his current role” as sanitation director. No further reason was given for Council’s resignation.
“We thank Jay [Council] for his service to the Dallas community and wish him the best in the future,” the City said in a statement sent to The Dallas Express by public information officer Ashley Guevara. “The City is committed to delivering service to our residents that continues to exemplify our values of service of empathy, ethics, excellence, engagement, and equity.”
Cliff Gillespie, who has served as assistant director of the department since 2019, was appointed as interim head of the sanitation department by Broadnax, according to the city manager’s email.
“I want to sincerely thank and acknowledge Mr. Council for his service to the city of Dallas and congratulating [sic] Mr. Gillespie on his new role in guiding the Sanitation Services Department,” wrote Broadnax.
On Thursday, Broadnax told The Dallas Morning News that the City will search for a new permanent sanitation director over the next few months. Gillespie will be considered for the role if he applies, according to Broadnax.
Under Council’s leadership, the sanitation department received public scrutiny for failing to collect garbage for several Dallas residents over the entire month of December, as previously reported by The Dallas Express.
This failure followed the implementation of a trash collection schedule change that was intended to improve route efficiency.
In January, Council said that city attorneys and other officials were exploring the possibility of reimbursing residents whose trash was not collected.
However, The Dallas Express asked Guevera for an update on this and was told, “The Dallas City Code does not authorize credits for missed or delayed garbage or recycle collections.”