John Coffelt, Editor

The Manchester Board of Mayor and Aldermen during the Nov. 4 meeting passed the first reading of an ordinance that will add two additional aldermen to the Water and Sewer Commission.

Mayor Joey Hobbs, the sponsor of the agenda item, said the current ordnance allows for seven possible members on the Commission, but only five are currently filled.

If the ordinance passes a second reading, the change would allow for a total of three aldermen to serve on the Commission.

The ordinance deleted a section of the current code that reads, “One member of the Board of Mayor and Aldermen shall be a member of the Water and Sewer Commission and shall have a vote as do other commissioners. He may serve as chairman of the Water and Sewer Commission and shall attend all meetings, report to the Board of Mayor and Aldermen of the proceedings, status, and conduct of the affairs and business of the commission.” 

It added in its place language to include the three aldermen, granting them the authority to vote on Commission matters and hold officer positions.  The aldermen will serve from September to September. They are appointed by the mayor and confirmed by BOMA.

The other members of the Water and Sewer Commission should be a citizen of the State of Tennessee for one year and of the city for six months preceding the day of his or her appointment, at least twenty-one (21) years of age and a property owner in the City of Manchester.

The Ordinance passed 5-0 with Alderman Julie Anderson absent.

The Manchester Water and Sewer Commission recommended during the Sept. 4 meeting that the City hire a professional firm to do a feasibility study that could lay the groundwork for forming an independent water department that would be governed by the utility body.

Water Board Commissioner Gary Hunt said at the time that the move would remove politics from the management of the Water Department.

“It would (remove) aldermen from worrying about the next election cycle versus this utility worrying about the next 20-30 years,” Hunt said.

“This is a business. It’s not the same as the Fire Department or Street Department; it has a different mission,” he said.

Several aldermen and the mayor present at the meeting appeared cold to the proposed independent utility.

Mayor Joey Hobbs shared the sentiment of several aldermen in the room suggesting that this was not the time for the Water Department to separate from the city, adding that the department would be better able to govern itself only after it can go a few years without dipping into the fund balance.

Alderman Julie Anderson, former Water Commission member, however, said that the training that Water Commission members are required to attend places them in a better position to make decisions regarding the Water Department.

If the city was to move forward in creating an independent water utility, it could be done by Board of Mayor and Aldermen action or by public referendum. The suggestion for a feasibility study will go before BOMA at a future meeting.

John has been with the Manchester Times since May 2011. John has won Tennessee Press Association awards for Best News Photo and placed in numerous other categories. John is a 1994 graduate of Tullahoma High School, a graduate of Motlow State Community College and earned a Bachelor of Arts in English from Middle Tennessee State University. He lives in Tullahoma, enjoys painting, dancing and exploring the outdoors.