County will pay local business for job completed last year

After months of waiting, a local business will finally receive compensation from the county for a job they completed last year.

During the recent Stephens County Board of Commissioners meeting, a motion was made accepting a change order for an increase of $55,155 to be paid to Martin’s Construction and Grading for its work extracting rock from the water line on the W. Currahee slope stabilization project.

In March, Willie Adams and Harlan Martin came before the commission with Adams requesting payment for the job they had completed in December of 2017.

“Hayward Baker Incorporated has sent in a change order request for rock encountered during the relocation of the waterline on West Currahee Street’s slope stabilization project we were subcontracted for,” Adams said. “We did that work in December. The county received a change order request in February, I don’t know what took Hayward Baker so long to get it to you, but regardless we are in the last week of March and we would like to be paid.”

At the time, the board of commissioners advised that it would be the city of Toccoa’s responsibility to pay the debt; however, City Manager Billy Morse later told WNEG News that the city had agreed to a specific amount and would not pay any additional amount.

“The city has an intergovernmental agreement with Stephens County for the relocation of that waterline, so we didn’t hire any contractors and we’re not paying any contractors. Our role is to reimburse Stephens County for that project, up to $175,000. So our exposure is limited to $175,000,” Morse said.

During the most recent meeting, Stephens County Board of Commissioner James Addison advised the county board to refuse payment.

However, both Stephens County Board of Commissioners Dennis Bell and Michelle Ivester disagreed.

Bell made a motion to pay the remaining balance and Ivester seconded the motion.

The motion passed 3-1 with Commissioner Debbie Whitlock being absent.