County commissioners: we need to work with better with city

Decatur County Commissioner Russell Smith, who called out county officials’ digging up of Bainbridge City Manager Chris Hobby’s  utility bills as a ‘personal attack,’ also said Tuesday night he believed relations between the county and city governments were actually better than they may seem.

Before commenting on the need to work together, however, Smith had an impromptu question for County Attorney Brown Moseley: who asked Moseley to request copies of the city manager’s household utility bill payment history? The county attorney would only say “the Board [of Commissioners],” and Commission Chairman Frank Loeffler answered Smith’s question in part after the meeting, saying multiple commissioners knew about the request.

Hear Smith’s remarks (1:43):

 

In response to Commissioner Smith, Chairman Loeffler said “if we cannot improve the relationship between the two bodies, then I’m all for to have a consolidation of the city and county…I’d like to go on the record and say that, because we can’t continue the way it is.”

Hear Loeffler’s response (0:34):

 

County Commissioner David “Butch” Mosely said “fighting is not my style” and said if “our county administrator and city administrator are not on the same page, maybe the two bodies could get together.”  However, Mosely went back to the issue of the county’s unsuccessful bid to keep the City of Bainbridge’s garbage business at the county landfill.

“The city residents have got to realize, for example, in the landfill, when we lose that revenue, if things did go down the tube–which we don’t expect them to–we’re going to have to raise taxes and who’s going to pay? It won’t be the county; it will be the county and the city. It will cost everybody.”

Hear Mosely’s remarks (1:32):

 

County Administrator Gary Breedlove began his comment time with the comment, “There’s a lot I could say, but I won’t.” Instead, Breedlove updated commissioners on the progress of repairs and upgrades at the county’s wastewater treatment plant in the Industrial Air Park off U.S. 27 North. Bates Engineering of Bainbridge is assisting the county with the treatment plant fixes.

Jan Godwin mentioned that she had received an email from Bainbridge Mayor Edward Reynolds earlier on Tuesday, inviting county officials to talk together at a Memorial Hospital meeting room on April 29. In unrelated remarks she made before Russell Smith’s comment, Godwin thanked a citizen who had spoken earlier in the meeting asking if the county government could put more of its information on its website, decaturcountyga.org Godwin said she had talked with County Administrator Gary Breedlove earlier in the week about updating or improving the design of the county’s website.

Hear Godwin’s remarks (0:28):

 

Commissioner Dennis Brinson thanked the audience of approximately 40-50 people for attending the meeting and encouraged them to return to future commissioners’ meetings.