Frustrated property owners with continual flooding issues across town brought concerns to the Macon Water Authority board, which also bogged down again with procedural disputes Thursday that led one member to call for state monitoring.
Finance Committee Chair Dwight Jones raised concerns that board members are routinely violating the Open Meetings Act by discussing issues not on the agenda.
During Executive Director Ron Shipman’s report, District 1’s Elaine Lucas asked for an update on the status of Macon Water Alliance funding for assisting clients of the Department of Family & Children Services. The Alliance is the authority’s nonprofit subsidiary set up for the purpose of supporting environmental education, raising funds, providing water and sewer resources and financially assisting customers with repairs.
The Alliance discussion was not on the agenda or initially included in Shipman’s report.
Jones later explained to The Macon Newsroom that proper procedure would have been to ask for a referral for the Macon Water Alliance board to discuss that topic at a later date, since not all Water Authority board members are on that committee.
At the conclusion of the board agenda when the chairman routinely asks for issue referrals to future committees, Jones requested to have the attorney determine an appropriate state agency to review recent board meetings.
His request eventually was referred to the Policy Committee against the objections of Lucas and District 2’s Desmond Brown.
“Are you serious?” Brown asked while laughing.
“That is the most ridiculous thing I’ve heard in a long time,” Lucas said.
Board Chairman Gary Bechtel called for order with five taps of his gavel.
“Mr. Jones, when asked for referrals, made a referral. The gratuitous comments and laughter is just unnecessary,” Bechtel said.
More discussion followed before Jones’ motion was seconded, as is parliamentary procedure, prompting another testy exchange between members.
“We will be a laughing stock, Mr. Chair,” Lucas said to Bechtel before Jones chimed in.
“Mr. Chair, point of order, there’s a referral on the table,” Jones said.
“Don’t interrupt me. Be quiet,” Lucas responded, which drew Bechtel’s ire and a loud, single crack of the gavel hitting the table.
“Damn it!” Bechtel exclaimed. “Let’s clear this up right now, please. There is a referral, and I ask for a second, and I’ll ask for discussion afterwards. Then people can chime in if they wish, but let it be orderly, please!”
MWA’s legal counsel, Jay Strickland, will research whether the Attorney General’s Office could intervene to monitor conduct and determine if violations are occuring. He suggested another board governance training session might be in order after the Carl Vinson Institute of Government conducted a workshop last month that was designed to foster better relationships between members..
The Policy Committee, which consists of chairs of the other committees, will discuss the proposals at a future meeting.
Lucas said the authority would “look stupid” appealing for such state oversight as if they weren’t qualified to conduct board business.
“You’re an attorney,” Lucas told Strickland after the referral vote. “You should have immediately said, ‘That is ridiculous and they’re gonna laugh at us.’ That’s what you should have said. I’m finished.”
“OK,” Bechtel replied. “I sincerely doubt that (you are finished), but…”
“You’re right,” Lucas admitted with a chuckle.
Following the meeting, Jones explained to The Macon Newsroom that he believes potential misdemeanor violations of the Open Meetings Act are being regularly committed by the board by broaching subjects not included on the agenda.
During an MWA operations report indicating more than 2,300 large industrial meters valued at $1.45 million were purchased and about to be installed, Lucas wanted to know how much money is owed by the authority’s industrial and commercial customers and asked several questions about accounts.
That prompted Jones to raise another point of order and a curt response from Lucas.
“You can’t tell me what’s in my mind, be quiet,” Lucas scolded. “You’re not going to shut me up. I was recognized. I need that information.”
After the meeting, Jones said it’s not personal.
“I’m not trying to attack anybody in particular. It’s just that this is not a chew and chat. You know, if we’re going to have an agenda, we need to stick to an agenda,” Jones said.
The act requires public agencies to make agendas available to the public before a meeting so they can decide whether to attend for items of interest.
“So, I don’t have an issue with the topic matters. I’m not trying to shut anybody down. I just don’t like jail a lot. You know, I haven’t been in it. I’m really not looking to do it,” Jones said.
Flood of concerns
During the meeting’s public comment period, property owners Leroy Thomas and Anthony Kirkland pleaded for help with recurrent flooding.
Both men had been bounced between different agencies and left with little resolution to complex problems.
Kirkland’s Macon Arts Center at 4570 Pio Nono Ave. regularly floods at the entrance, leaving smelly standing water at the driveway.
Jason Berry, the property manager, said they were late to the meeting because heavy rain blocked them.
“If we can’t get out, guess who can’t get in? Customers. If we don’t have customers, guess who can’t get paid?” Berry asked.
Their entertainment business is along Pio Nono Avenue, which is a state route governed by the Georgia Department of Transportation. Water Authority executives later explained that road infrastructure correction falls under GDOT jurisdiction.
Kirkland asked, but did not get an answer as to what his monthly $648.70 stormwater fee pays for if MWA can’t help them.
Thomas came to the meeting inquiring how he could submit video of flooding at his property at the corner of Hazel and Telfair Street where a sinkhole closed the street two years ago.
Repairs made have not solved the problem, Thomas said.
“I’m gonna get some news people here to find out what’s the issue since nobody’s willing to help me. I come kindly to ask. My foundation has cracked because of that, the building is settled because of the overflow of water that’s backing up,” Thomas said in a huddle with MWA board members and executives.
Shipman explained that the low-lying topography of the land and decades of development around Mercer University, Tindall Heights, Beall’s Hill, lofts on College Street, the Bibb County Jail and Fire Headquarters have led to all the runoff settling at that corner.
The infrastructure issue could only be resolved by clearing acres of development and starting over, Shipman said.
MWA’s VP of Field and Plant Operations, Michel Wanna said putting in a new drainage pipe would only lead to flooding elsewhere in the neighborhood due to lay of the land and poorly designed drainage from long before the authority took over stormwater management at the end of 2020.
“Macon Water Authority is dealing with the past, and this a very harsh past to fix today,” Wanna said. “There’s no remedy.”
Lucas, who was on the Macon-Bibb County Commission when MWA took over stormwater, said she now has a greater understanding of the immense challenges ahead.
“The county turned all of those kinds of things over to the Macon Water Authority, and the more I see, the more y’all got stuck with it,” Lucas said to the group.
Macon-Bibb County Commissioner Brendalyn Bailey encouraged everyone to use the See, Click, Fix app to report issues and work together to find solutions.
“As the city of Macon-Bibb County continues to grow, we want our citizens to be confident in our government bodies, and confident that we are here to help them and to assist them and not to just send them to other places in the chain,” Bailey said as she addressed the board.
— Civic Journalism Senior Fellow Liz Fabian covers Macon-Bibb County government issues for The Macon Melody and can be reached at [email protected] or 478-301-2976.
