Commissioners finally selected an engineer for the Red Oak Loop Community Development Block Grant project, but it took five votes over two called meetings to get it done.
What is typically a routine vote turned into a quadruple 2-2 deadlock at a called meeting last Thursday, in one of the oddest county commission meetings in recent memory.
Statewide Engineering of Douglas was officially approved as the engineer on a 3-2 split vote at a called meeting Monday morning. Second District Commissioner Graham Raley, Third District Commissioner Randy Dixon and Fourth District Commissioner David Lowman voted in favor of selecting Statewide, while First District Commissioner Troy Mattox and County Chairman Neal Bennett voted no.
Commissioner Dixon was out of town at Thursday’s meeting, but returned to make the deciding vote Monday. He said Statewide was the most qualified firm in explaining his vote.
Statewide will be the engineer if the county is approved for the proposed CDBG for the Red Oak Loop community behind the old Farr’s Furniture on U.S. Highway 84.
The project would include street and drainage improvements in that area.
Getting to the yes vote approving Statewide was a long and winding road, however.
Interim County Manager Thomas Sauls recommended the county approve Roberts Engineering of Blackshear at Thursday’s called meeting.
Sauls said a committee had reviewed the engineering firms and ranked them. The top three were Roberts Engineering at 20.33, Statewide Engineering of Douglas at 20 and T.R. Long Engineering of Hinesville at 19.
Commissioner Raley said he did not agree with the rankings on the scoresheets provided by the Georgia Department of Community Affairs.
“They are too vague,” he said. “We should use a scoresheet based on how many engineers are on staff, how many projects they have done and how many CDBG grant projects they have done. You can’t tell any of that from the DCA scoresheet.”
The DCA scoresheet uses a 1-4 rank on six criteria to come up with the score.
Raley said he had conducted his own ranking based on the more comprehensive criteria he listed and said Roberts did not rank in the top five.
County Chairman Bennett said other factors had to be considered, including the percentage the engineering firms charged for the grant work. Bennett pointed out Roberts was the lowest in that category.
The comments were followed by a flurry of failed motions, open negotiations on the floor and constant interruptions and commentary from the gallery by Mittie Vaughan, publisher of the Pierce County Press.
Raley made a motion, seconded by Commissioner Lowman, to go with Statewide Engineering. The motion failed with Raley and Lowman voting in favor and Bennett and Commissioner Mattox voting no.
Bennett declared the motion failed, but Raley challenged Bennett saying the motion passed 2-1. Raley said his interpretation of the county’s enabling legislation is the chairman can only vote in case of a tie and can’t vote to create a tie.
“That’s your interpretation,” Bennett replied.
The enabling legislation dates back to the county’s charter when it was founded in 1857. It has been revised, though the most recent version is 1935.
The enabling legislation says “The chairman may vote on all questions before the board and the vote of each commissioner shall have equal weight and dignity as that of the chairman or any other member.”
Mattox made a motion to go with Roberts Engineering, which was seconded by Bennett. The motion failed 2-2 with Mattox and Bennett voting in favor and Raley and Lowman voting no.
At that point in the meeting, Vaughan became amused and began laughing, something she would also do after the two additional votes.
She addressed the chairman and commissioners directly interrupting the meeting without being recognized by the chair.
“Sounds to me like y’all need to get (Commissioner) Randy (Dixon) up here to vote,” she said.
Commenting on the disagreement on the interpretation on the chairman’s voting rights, Vaughan also gave her opinion on that subject, too.
“Y’all need to get the county attorney on the phone,” she said.
County Attorney Adam Craft was not present at the meeting.
Bennett did not gavel Vaughan out of order and she continued to comment on the proceedings during the remainder of the meeting, even asking Raley during the deliberations about his place of employment.
Commissioners attempted a third vote on T.R. Long Engineering, which also deadlocked 2-2 with Lowman making the motion and Raley making the second. Both voted in favor, while Mattox and Bennett again opposed.
Sauls and County clerk Donna Golding advised commissioners a decision on the engineer would need to be made right away since the deadline for applying for the CDBG was yesterday (January 27).
Commissioners finally agreed to call Craft and ask him for an interpretation on the county’s enabling legislation and whether the chairman could vote.
Craft was contacted and put on speaker phone. Craft said the chairman could vote in case of a tie.
“Yes, but can he vote to create a tie?,” Raley asked.
Craft declined to give an opinion on that question, saying he did not see anything specific in the legislation that addressed that particular issue and would need to do more research.
Raley began talking with Mattox asking him which firm was his second preference after Roberts. Mattox said it was Statewide.
Raley then made a second motion to go with Statewide, which was seconded by Lowman. Raley and Lowman voted yes, while Bennett and Mattox voted no.
Commissioners then agreed to table the matter until a called meeting Monday morning, Jan. 26 when Statewide was selected.
