Mayor Emery Doughtie believes the state looks more closely about how different municipalities interact with each other.

That trend could be a factor in the city’s plans to build a solid waste transfer station on public works property on Hinson Street.

With Halifax County studying building its own transfer station that could be incentive for the two to work together.

Doughtie said, however, that wouldn’t be an immediate recommendation. “I’m not opposed to us looking at the possibility of us working together.”

If that does happen, Doughtie said, “I would be willing to discuss things and see if we couldn’t work out the best option possible. It’s got to be an equitable situation. To me it’s more effective to run one than to have two transfer stations.”

Doughtie’s comments come after a meeting Monday in Lincoln Heights where people who live in the community and surrounding area listened to experts in environmental justice tell them how to educate and organize themselves as the city continues to study the proposal.

“It made me feel like the community, no matter what information was brought before them, had a negative viewpoint of putting that in their community,” the mayor said today.

The city continues to look closely at the proposal, Doughtie said. “Obviously, we don’t want to do it if it’s not economically feasible.”

That’s why Doughtie believes it’s important to explore possibly talking to the county. “The state is looking more closely to see how communities interact to help themselves. to see if communities can work together and share resources. To me that’s what elected officials need to be doing to make sure our citizens are not benefitting at someone else’s expense.”

That was the message of Monday’s meeting, the mayor believes. “It was more to let us know they did not want that in the community.”

The mayor is not opposed to getting more information on the proposal, on what any negative affects may be and “look at all other possible alternatives.”

Halifax County Manager Tony Brown was out of the office and could not be immediately reached.