VALDOSTA — Without City Council approval, the installation of 5,600 linear feet of water/sewer pipe is being installed on Racetrack Road, at the very edge of annexed City property.

Lowndes County Utility Director Mike Allen acknowledged the property was annexed into the City, but was not designated as a City service area for water and sewer as part of the House Bill 489 agreement between City and County governments. He also was never notified by City staff about the project and only learned about the infrastructure installation after visiting the area.

“I did not try to contact them,” said Allen. “If they’re planning to service a piece of property, they need to put a request to the government as to what they would like to service. I could call and tell them to make a request, but it’s not for me to make that call.”

Allen said, “Usually in the past, the City Manager would call the County Manager and say they had an extra-territorial request and that they’d like to service this property and the government would vote on the matter.”

Differing Accounts

City Engineer Pat Collins said they had sent the county a letter and had not started on the project. He also said the city hoped to bring the project before council on Dec. 8, so they could make use of approximately 1,000 feet of 12 inch pipe leftover from a previous project.

Collins also hoped that Radney Plumbing Inc., could be chosen for the project since the company had provided them a low price on similar work in April of 2011. Collins said that there was a possibility of re-bidding the work, which would take an additional 60 days.

When contacted by the Times on Tuesday, however, Collins said that he had learned that Radney Plumbing had gone ahead with the project without permission from City Council or the engineering office.

“Somebody told Tommy Radney to get started but I have no idea who,” said Collins. “He knew we were taking it to council, but he wasn’t authorized to work.”

He said they have since stopped work on the project until they receive approval from council.

“We would never go out and put pipe on county property without their knowledge. We would have to get a permit,” said Collins.

Project Costs

The city, not the property owner, is bearing the entire cost for the project. Collins expects the project to cost about $132,000 but also use leftover pipe and about $22,000 from a city project in April.

“If we have pipe sitting in the yard and you don’t get it in the ground, it goes to waste,” said Collins. “You want to get it put to use as soon as possible.”

Allen said he had never heard of pipe going bad if left out in the open.

The property in question is currently owned by the Carroll family, and Jimmy Carroll said that he gave the City permission to install the infrastructure for a potential upcoming industrial project and fire, police and “adequate water supply.”

“I wouldn’t get into anything that wasn’t for sure and we didn’t know what we were doing,” said Carroll. “As far as I’m concerned, they’re on my property and I’ve given them right of way. I’m not trying to hide anything. These two government agencies need to talk with each other and find out what’s going on – find out what’s going on to be a fact.”

Allen said that he had been contacted by the late Bo Carroll, Jimmy’s brother, about certain water requirements, but no formal requests were made as there was no industrial prospect for the property at the time of the annexation request.

Lowndes County did not oppose the property’s annexation, but did state in a number of discussions between Chairman Ashley Paulk, County Manager Joe Pritchard, and City Manager Larry Hanson that the property in question would remain in the county’s water/ sewer service district. It took nearly two years for the two governments to come to terms on the service district lines in HB 489 negotiations.

Paulk said Tuesday that the Carrolls are caught in the middle between the city and county and it’s not fair to them. He said unfortunately with Bo’s passing, the family may not be aware of the issues, but that the city definitely knows, although Hanson said Monday he had no knowledge of the project.

“The Carrolls are good, hardworking people. I’ve known them all my life. They have land they want to develop out there and the late Bo Carroll came to me and said they would need more water than the county could supply. I assured him that when they had a valid customer, we would get them whatever water they needed, even if we had to buy it from the city.”

Paulk said the area the city is currently digging in is definitely Lowndes County territory. “They’re even having to go around our pump station there and yet there is no customer that I’m aware of to service at this time. If there was a customer, the county could have the utilities there before the building was built.”

Paulk said he questions the wisdom of spending that much taxpayer money without any prospect of income in the near future.

“I really hope the Carrolls can bring an industry in, but until they have a commitment, the county’s stance was why spend all that money?”