Leesburg City Council ups city manager spending limit

LEESBURG — After having to wait nearly three weeks to approve repairs to a faulty lift station in the city, Leesburg Council members voted Tuesday night to raise the spending limit of the city manager so that he or she can take quicker action in emergency situations.

The question of raising the city manager’s spending limit arose after Bob Alexander, who currently holds that position, presented a recommendation to have a faulty pump at the city’s Hardee’s lift station repaired after it quit working properly nearly three weeks prior to the meeting date.

“The Hardee’s lift station failed on us, and we were able to receive quotes from Southern Rewind to repair the pump at a cost of $7,198,” explained Alexander. “And we also got the cost of a new pump: $16,132. We would recommend that we repair the pump using Southern Rewind for $7,198.”

The city manager did not raise the issue of his spending limit, which had been set at $5,000, during his recommendation, but when discussion began, council member Billy Breeden mentioned that, had Alexander’s limit been higher, he could have authorized the repair without having to wait for a meeting of the council.

“I’d like to raise (his limit) to $10,000,” said Breeden. “We’ve been waiting on this motor, it’s been, I think, three weeks now.”

In response to Breeden’s point, Mayor Jim Quinn suggested the council make a decision on the repair and then discuss the issue of raising the spending limit. That led to a motion, a second and a unanimous vote to authorize the repair.

While discussing how to handle a similar emergency situation in the future, Leesburg City Attorney Bert Gregory explained the current process.

“He could start the (repair) process, but he couldn’t pay for it,” Gregory said. “He can only pay up to $5,000. So he could find out what it costs and put it in the works to do it, but he’d have to call a meeting (to authorize funding).”

In response to that explanation, Councilman Bobby Wilson suggested that the limit be upped to make sure future emergencies are handled in a timely manner.

“I would like to say that whenever we’ve got an emergency situation, he is our city manager, and for emergency repairs or having to replace this, that or whatever, because emergencies come up, we certainly need to raise it to at least $10,000,” Wilson said. “And, of course, if it exceeds the $10,000, all it would take is a phone call or something to the mayor or whatever.

“I would certainly be in favor of raising it to $10,000 because he ought to be able to take care of emergency situations without trying to round up everybody. It does kind of restrain him somewhat. I think $10,000 is fair. That’s just my opinion”

Wilson’s opinion was apparently shared by his fellow council members, who voted 5-0 (council member Debra Long was not present at the meeting) to raise Alexander’s spending limit to $10,000.

The city’s water system also drove additional action during the meeting, as the council voted unanimously to approve an alternate bid for work to be done to the city’s well on Starksville Street, near State Highway 32.

Alexander explained that while installing new pumps at the well, approved contractor Hammock Wells Inc. discovered that the well’s screens, which were installed with the well around 1982, were in need of cleaning.

“We had an approval of a Starksville Street/32 well upgrade by Hammock Well Inc., and also in that bid was an alternative bid for a chemical and mechanical cleaning of the Starksville well if it was needed,” explained Alexander. “The contractor went ahead and put a video (camera) down through there to take a look at it, and obviously it needed cleaning. We’re recommending to have this cleaned.

“What that does, it increases your pumping capacity and also the quality of your water by cleaning these screens. This is the first time I think that these screens have been cleaned out since the well had been put in, and since we were in the process of having to put new pumps in the well,this was an opportune time to go ahead and do this.”

In response to a question from Councilwoman Judy Powell, the city manager also explained that the cost to have those screens cleaned at a later date, after the new pumps had been put in and were operational, would be even greater than the $18,000 quote.

“It would cost almost that much to take the pumps out and check it out,” said Alexander. “It would cost, I think, in the neighborhood of $12,000 just to check to see if it needed cleaning. If we did it at another time, it would be a lot more expensive. But since they had to do work on the well anyway, this was the opportune time to get it done.”

Despite the additional cleaning cost, Alexander confirmed that the overall project is still well under budget.

In other matters, the council approved a motion to abandon a 0.01-acre piece of property in the alley behind Leesburg Church of Christ so that the church could assume possession of the property. Alexander explained that the church needed the property in order to meet the city’s setback requirements in order to build a new a Life Center behind the present church facility.

The city manager also reminded the commission that the church had previously gifted that piece of property, and more, to the city for the construction of a water main in the alley.

“It’s just a little triangle piece of land there that would give them the required setbacks they need to go ahead with the building,” he said. “And it wouldn’t have any negative affect on what we’re trying to do. They were a good neighbor to us, and I recommend we be a good neighbor back to them.”

The meeting agenda had also called for the council to hear the annual audit report for fiscal year 2016, but Alexander said that representatives from Mauldin & Jenkins, the accounting firm conducting that audit, said the report was not finished..

The council did not hear a presentation from April Perry, the manager of Park Senior Village, concerning a conflict that Perry said prevented her from attending the meeting. Alexander said Perry indicated she was willing to come before the council at its next meeting.

That meeting is scheduled for April 4.