Politics & Government
Commissioners Vote to Merge Water, Sewer Departments
A recap of the Barrow County Board of Commissioners meeting June 14.
- Who met: Barrow County Board of Commissioners
- Date: Tuesday, June 14, 2011
- Location: County administrative annex
- Who was present: Commission Chairman Daniel Yearwood, District 1 Commissioner Larry Joe Wilburn, District 2 Commissioner Eva Elder, District 3 Commissioner Steve Worley, District 4 Commissioner Isaiah Berry, District 5 Commissioner Billy Parks and District 6 Commissioner Ben Hendrix, county clerk Michelle Sims
- Top agenda items:
- Commissioners voted unanimously to combine the water and wastewater services departments.
“We find it in our best interest to work together … to make better use to utilize the utilities and resources we both have,” Mark Whiddon, director of county wastewater services, told commissioners.
The departments will also combine budgets.
“One of the things that drove us to ask for this is that the sewer shortfalls and the sewer bond payments have got to come out of the water department,” said Myron Garrett, director for the water department. “You make some money on the water part of it and the very best you’re going to do is break even on the sewer part. You just can’t charge enough to cover the expenses.”
Berry made a motion to merge the departments then review the change after one year. The motion received a second from Hendrix and carried unanimously. - Commissioners voted 4-2 to approve a budget amendment request of 25,715.57 from Tax Commissioner Melinda Williams. The funds will go toward repairs and maintenance, communications, postage and printing and binding.
“The bottom line is I am out of money,” Williams told commissioners. “I have to have postage especially to collect my back taxes … which adds up to be a good little bit of money for 2010 taxes.”
Wilburn and Elder voted against the motion to approve the budget amendment. - Commissioners voted 5-1 to approve a request budget amendment for $250,000 for rock blasting at the site of the Bankhead Highway/Auburn sewer service project.
Wilburn voted against the motion.
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