Stephens Co. Commission Considers Partial Funding of Project Overage

Stephens County Commissioners will not provide funding to help cover an overage in the cost of a project in the town of Martin.

On Tuesday, county commissioners took up discussion of the possibility of funding an overage in the final bill for running water lines and fire hydrants on Swilling Road.

According to Stephens County Administrator Phyllis Ayers, this stems from the county’s decision to pave Swilling Road.

“It was on our plan to pave Swilling Road this summer,” said Ayers. “We have to put a lot of rock on that road and when we got ready to seriously maybe make a decision in open meeting to do that road, I had a conversation with the Mayor of Martin that if they had any idea they were going to run water lines on that road, we would like to know that because we would not to spend all that money paving and dig asphalt back up to run water lines.”

Ayers said that sparked a discussion with Martin and the county noted it had available water and sewer money available yet from SPLOST II.

“The board agreed to partner with the town of Martin and pay $40,000 to help run the water lines and fire hydrants that are currently there,” said Ayers. “The actual invoice came in at $86,000, I believe it was.”

On Tuesday, Ayers told commissioners that the county still had $7,903 in SPLOST II and the county could agree to share the extra cost with Martin in part or in full or pay nothing extra.

Multiple county commissioners note they fulfilled the obligation they had made with the $40,000.

Commissioners voted 4 to 1 to not pay any extra towards the overage in the bill.

Debbie Whitlock was the lone vote in opposition.

“We get taxes from those people and they are trying to do something out there to make their place a better place to live,” said Whitlock. “If it is improved, we get taxes from that. They fell short. I do not know where they are going to get the money from and I feel that we should help them.”

Multiple commissioners said they did not want to completely spend all of the money in that SPLOST account at this time in case another issue arose.