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The city of Jackson has sent a letter of intent to the Department of Health that indicates a plan to borrow $2.5 million to fix broken water pipes.
Mayor Tony Yarber is seeking emergency funding to repair the city's crumbling infrastructure, which includes $300,000 for the broken Chastain water line. Other repairs are needed to water mains on Siwell and Eastover roads.
The City Council still has to approve the mayor's plan, and while there was talk of a special meeting, it may be Tuesday before the issue is taken up.
Yarber issued a state of emergency March 27, which expired a week later. He is asking the City Council to extend the emergency declaration.
"The council just wanted to be confident that we were dealing with things in a strategic manner, and we think we were able to provide them with that," Yarber said.
Some council members told 16 WAPT's Scott Simmons that they are reluctant to borrow money when there is bond money in the bank from the city's 1-cent sales tax. The money must be approved by an oversight commission before it can be spent.
"We are waiting for the commission to make a decision," Yarber said. "Now they are deliberating. They are voting on that, and hopefully, we see monies being spent in the coming weeks."
Several members of the oversight committee said they are not ready to sign off on spending any sales tax money yet.
"If you are looking for a vote, we are not prepared to vote on it right now," oversight committee member Pete Perry said. "It probably wouldn't pass (if voted upon right now), because we've got too many questions about it."
The millions of dollars collected so far are supposed to be used as leverage to borrow $50 million in bonds, which will be used to tackle the city's massive infrastructure problems with sewer, water and roads.
"There were no other projects listed in Belhaven, but yet, we had four water line breaks two weeks ago in Belhaven," oversight commission member Ted Duckworth said.
Duckworth and Perry are two of a 10 member commission designated by the Legislature to make sure the tax money is spent as it is intended.
"It just seems like it is short on telling us long-term how we are attacking the big problems of the city, and there is certainly enough there -- $200 million over the next 20 years," Duckworth said.
The city's crumbling infrastructure is the result of age and neglect. The administration said it's just trying to start fixing some of the problems now, before it gets worse.
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OF WATER LINE BREAKS. THE MAYOR WANTS TO ISSUE A NEW EMERGENCY DECLARATION....AND BORROW STATE MONEY TO FIX IT. 16 WAPT'S SCOTT SIMMONS IS LIVE IN NORTH JACKSON WITH THE BIGGEST PROJECT ON THAT "EMERGENCY LIST". THIS MESS IS THE CHASTAIN WATER LINE ..A 300-THOUSAND DOLLAR PRICE TAG TO FIX IT. THE CITY SAYS IT PLANS TO BORROW THAT MONEY FROM THE STATE... EVEN THOUGH THE CITY IS COLLECTING A SALES TAX TO FIX PROBLEMS LIKE THIS . MAYOR TONY YARBER'S REVISED EMERGENCY PLAN CALLS FOR TACKLING THREE PRESSING REPAIR PROJECTS": A 24 INCH WATER MAIN AT THE CHASTAIN WATER TANK, A 20 INCH MAIN ON SIWELL ROAD AND A WATER MAIN ON EASTOVER ROAD. THE CITY SENT A LETTER OF INTENT TO BORROW 2.4 MILLION DOLLARS FROM THE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH...TO START THAT WORK - ASAP. THE CITY RECENTLY STARTED COLLECTING A ONE PERCENT SALES TAX, MONEY DESIGNED TO FIX SEWER, ROAD AND WATER PROBLEMS IN THE CITY. BEFORE THEY CAN USE IT - AN OVERSIGHT COMMISSION HAS TO APPROVE THE CITY'S PLAN. MAYOR TONY YARBER: WE ARE WAITING FOR THE COMMISSION TO MAKE A DECISION NOW THEY ARE DELIBERATING THEY ARE VOTING ON THAT AND HOPEFULLY WE SEE MONIES BEING SPENT IN THE COMING WEEKS. PETE PERRY/OVERSIGHT COMMITTEE MEMBER: BUT IF YOU ARE LOOKING FOR A VOTE WE ARE NOT PREPARED TO VOTE ON IT RIGHT NOW AND IF YOU DID VOTE ON IT IT PROBABLY WOULDN'T PASS BECAUSE WE GOT TOO MANY QUESTIONS ABOUT IT. SEVERAL MEMBERS OF THE COMMISSION SAY THEY ARE NOT READY TO SIGN OFF ON ANYTHING. PART OF THE CITY'S MASTER PLAN IS TO USE THE MILLIONS OF DOLLARS COLLECTED THUS FAR AS LEVERAGE TO BORROW 50-MILLION DOLLARS IN BONDS TO DO IMPROVEMENT WORK OVER THE NEXT 20 YEARS. TED DUCKWORTH/OVER SIGHT COMMISSION MEMBER: THERE WERE NO OTHER PROJECTS LISTED IN BELHAVEN BUT YET WE HAD 4 WATER LINE BREAKS TWO WEEKS AGO IN BELHAVEN. DUCKWORTH AND PERRY SAY THE FIRST 50 PROJECTS LISTED ON THE LONG RANGE PLAN DO NOT SEEM TO ADDRESS THE CITY'S MOST PRESSING PROBLEMS. TED DUCKWORTH/OVER SIGHT COMMISSION MEMBER: IT JUST SEEMS LIKE IT IS SHORT ON TELLING US LONG TERM HOW WE ARE ATTACKING THE BIG PROBLEMS OF THE CITY AND THERE IS CERTAINLY ENOUGH REVENUE THERE: 200 MILLION DOLLARS OVER THE NEXT 20 YEARS. CITY LEADERS SAY THE CITY'S CRUMBLING INFRASTRCTURE IS THE RESULT OF AGE AND NEGLECT...THE ADMINISTRATION SAYS IT'S JUST TRYING TO START FIXING SOME OF THE PROBLEMS ...NOW BEFORE IT GETS WORSE. THE MAYOR'S EMERGENCY PLAN WOULD INVOLVE BORROWING THAT STATE MONEY AS NEEDED....NOT ALL AT ONCE. THE CITY COUNCIL STILL MUST APPROVE HIS EMERGENCY DECLARATION...THE COUNCIL IS NOT SET UP TO ADDRESS THAT UNTIL TUESDAY AT THE EARLIEST. LIVE IN NORTH JACKSON SCOTT SIMMONS 16 WAPT NEWS. THANKS SCOTT
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