PANAMA CITY — One county commissioner was poised to pin Callaway with more than $300,000 in lift station repair fees at a Bay County Board of Commissioners meeting Tuesday.
“As operator, I know we not only have the authority, but we have the obligation to the taxpayers of Bay County to see that the repair is paid by the party that has caused the damage,” Commissioner Bill Dozier told commissioners.
He followed up with a motion to notify Callaway that it will have to reimburse “whatever money is expended to repair” lift station (BC-2) near Veterans Park on Cherry Street in Callaway.
At Tuesday’s meeting, City Manager Ed Smith informed commissioners that bids were received for emergency repairs at the lift station. Commissions approved the lowest bid from GAC Contractors at $308,250.
While in the initial phase the Advanced Wastewater Treatment (AWT) System would fund the repairs, it still hasn’t been decided how those funds will be reimbursed, if they will be reimbursed.
Dozier’s motion would make it clear that as operator the county will stick Callaway with the costs.
Commissioner Mike Thomas favored the motion and Commissioners Mike Nelson, George Gainer and board chairman Guy Tunnell voted against it.
Tunnell said, although he was “99.9 percent certain where the problem stems from,” it’s in the interest of the AWT agreement, which is between Callaway, Springfield, Parker and the County, to allow Callaway time to get reports from their consultants.
“We agreed to give their consultants sufficient time to do their research,” Tunnell said. “I think we at least have that obligation.”
A meeting has been scheduled for April, tentatively.
In other business, at the meeting:
Commissioners adopted new retail water and sewer rates at Tuesday’s Bay County Board of Commissioners meeting. The hike will impact retail customers in the unincorporated areas of the county only. Although $19 is the average cost increase, rates are graduated and will increase based upon how much water is used. The rates will be effective beginning in April.
The commission approved a $900 easement fee increase for usage of a railroad right of way on U.S. 231 from East Avenue to 19th treet, where a county-owned 20-inch pipeline runs. The current base rent of the easement of $100 per year has stood since the agreement was established decades ago; however, the Omega Rail Management for the Bay Line Railroad LLC, which originally pushed for the base rent to be hiked to $5,000 this year, has requested the county pay $1,000 for this year and $5,000 in subsequent years until 2024, the earliest the base rate can be increased again.
Commissioners approved boundaries of the Glenwood community. The district is to run north to south from U.S. 231 to U.S. 98 and east to west from Mercedes and Watson Bayou to McKenzie Road.