Editor’s note: The Tift County Board of Commissioners released the following open letter on June 29:

Over the course of the last two weeks, much has been made of a letter sent to Mayor Julie Smith by the Tift County Board of Commissioners. The fact of the matter is that the letter was, at the time, the latest installment in what has been a multiyear process involving Service Delivery negotiations between the County and the City.

When quoted or summarized without context, we recognize that the full substance and intent of the letter might be misunderstood.

With that in mind, the undersigned members of the Board of Commissioners would like to take this opportunity to provide that context and to inform the public that it has submitted an offer to the City that, if accepted, will put Service Delivery as well as the back and forth lawsuits to bed, once and for all.

First, it’s important to understand that the County Commission did not simply decide to end services inside the city of Tifton; we were left with no choice. Georgia law clearly delineates certain services which one government cannot perform inside the boundaries of another without a contract for doing so. No matter how badly the County might want to provide them, we cannot without an invitation from and an agreement with the City of Tifton.

Therefore, out of a desire to continue providing these services, the County has made several offers to the City which would address both the provision and equitable funding of the services. Some on the City Council have said that certain County proposals would have required the City to raise its millage rate. That statement is true, but not the whole truth. 

What they failed to mention is the fact that there would have been a corresponding decrease in the County millage rate to those same citizens thereby offsetting the increase and rendering it essentially moot.

The City has rejected each and every offer put forth by the County without even once submitting a counterproposal for our consideration. Anyone who has been involved in trying to broker a deal of any kind knows that a one-sided negotiation is really not a negotiation at all.

In the event that the City would have decided to accept a County proposal with respect to the provision of certain services, there would still be one large elephant in the room, that being Tifton-Tift County Water/Wastewater. 

The Interlocal Agreement combining the two departments called for an equalization of water rates by no later than 2015. The County Commission has been begging the City for over a decade to equalize rates and make neighbors pay the same rate for the same glass of water. 

As of today, despite Mayor Smith’s promise that “we will work with you to the ends of the earth to make a fair, equitable agreement…”, rates have not been equalized. In 2017, she also penned a letter to the County notifying us of the City’s intent to separate the joint Water/Wastewater Department. Since then, there have been multiple claims and counterclaims filed disputing system ownership and the expenditure of millions of dollars in SPLOST funding. 

Just like with many other breakups, it has devolved into disagreements as to what brought about the split, about the other’s conduct during the union, and who gets what property when the gavel falls. Even though we are a long way down that road, the County Commission is willing to do its part to put it all behind us and turn the page.

In a Special Called Meeting of the Tift County Board of Commissioners held Thursday night, the Board voted unanimously to once again present the City with an offer that does not separate departments, does not degrade services, and does not increase taxes. However, it does serve to settle lawsuits, end Service Delivery disputes, and provide a pathway to bridging the gap that has existed between our governments for far too long. But make no mistake about it, we cannot accomplish this alone. In an email last week, Mayor Smith asked for our submission “in writing.” We’ve done that and more. Our proposal as summarized below is in writing, is in public, and was delivered to the City Friday afternoon. We implore our friends on the City Council to join us in moving our community forward, together.

 

County Proposal # 4:

1. Continue Recreation, EMS, Animal Control, & Library as General Fund services county-wide;

2. Continue Tax Collection at current rate;

3. Continue Elections at actual cost;

4. Continue inmate Housing at rate established by Sheriff & agreed to by all parties;

5. Continue to provide non-emergent dispatch services for $200,000.00 per year. The City may discontinue utilization at any time;

6. The parties agree that the County Road System benefits all Tift County residents and is properly funded via the County’s General Fund;

7. The parties will establish a joint Water & Sewer Authority. All assets and liabilities of water and sewer enterprise funds will be transferred to the Authority. Residential rates between incorporated and unincorporated customers will be equalized and remain so. 

The City and the County will work collectively with the local legislative delegation to establish the composition of the Authority.

8. The parties will dismiss with prejudice all pending claims regarding water and sewer systems or enterprise funds to include Plaintiff’s Complaint for Declaratory Judgment and Second Amendment to Complaint. There will be no look-backs. 

Stateddifferently, the parties agree that neither will file any lawsuit regarding the water & sewer systems or enterprise funds that arose prior to the date of this settlement/dismissal.At a time when our nation is facing an unprecedented public health pandemic, globaleconomic uncertainty, and social unrest the likes of which we haven’t seen in decades, the issues keeping us apart on a local level seem insignificant at best, and inexcusable at worst. The time for action is now. It’s time to come together. We’ve extended our hand and we ask the City to grasp it.

 

Respectfully submitted,

Grady Thompson, Chairman, District 7 

Donnie Hester, Vice Chairman, District 1

Melissa Hughes, Commissioner, District 2 

Paul Webb, Commissioner, District 3

Stan Stalnaker, Commissioner, District 4 

Greg Wood, Commissioner, District 6