City crews took over storm debris cleanup today after the contractor hired by the city Sept. 23 abruptly halted operations, citing financial losses.

The change of plan came after a chaotic day of truncated work and full debris trailers left at the original dump site.

&#8221I can’t afford to lose any more money,“ said Dudley Maynord, co-owner of Maynord Landscaping, who had been hired based on his proposal.

The company stopped picking up debris at 10 a.m. Thursday after their trailers were turned away at the dump site the city had an agreement with, Tembec USA LLC on North Washington Street.

&#8221We were turned around because they were told by the city that a FEMA representative would contact them. So now there’s four trailers loaded with stuff that I don’t know what to do with,“ Maynord said.

Anna Booth, project manager in the city planning department, said Maynord was notified of a backup dump site, on property owned by Anderson Tully, and that Tembec requested a representative and was told to contact FEMA themselves.

&#8221We were told by Tembec that due to an audit of some kind they could not handle any more storm debris,“ Booth said.

Officials at Tembec USA did not return calls.

The Maynord contract was based on a proposal to charge $33.90 per ton. Maynord had originally wanted rates to be measured by the yard. Early accounts of debris pickup by Maynord indicated there was much less debris to pick up in Vicksburg than what the city estimated.

&#8221I know that companies doing this on the Gulf Coast are charging $9.25 per yard. I also saw city crews still picking up debris a week into the contract,“ Maynord said.

In response, Mayor Laurence Leyens said the firm underbid the process and lacked necessary equipment to handle the job from the start.

&#8221It’s turned into a $250,000 problem. We want to spend that money thoughtfully and in a fiscally responsible way,“ Leyens said.

Vicksburg has a contract with Waste Management for pickup of yard debris. That contract, however, excused the company from disaster services and separate proposals were taken.

For his part, Maynord said he ordered four new dump trailers capable of holding 30 yards of debris. Only two arrived, then a letter came from the manufacturer, Big Tex Trailers of Odessa, Texas, stating that FEMA bought out the rest of the company inventory.

&#8221These were very hard to find. I wanted new ones and not other models from like, 1981, because I wanted my crew to be busier hauling debris and not working on equipment,“ Maynord said.

Since his four crews began pickup work Sept. 26, the firm had been using five 18-foot trailers with homemade wooden sides attached to them. Special machinery was purchased to drag the debris off trailers, Maynord said.

Leyens said the pickup process was compounded by residents who did not get all their debris in front of their homes in a timely manner.

&#8221We delayed it two to three weeks to give people a chance. But then we just saw more debris appear,“ Leyens said.

The bulk of the debris should be picked up in four to five days, Leyens said.

&#8221I regret the whole process. It hasn’t been a perfect outcome,“ Leyens said.

Crews will haul debris to seven sites to be determined today, said James &#8221Bubba“ Rainer, public works director.

Officials with both the City of Vicksburg and Warren County will submit paperwork to FEMA by Oct. 30 to apply for public assistance reimbursement for certain storm-related expenses, which includes debris pickup.