JOHN COFFELT, Editor

The postponed budget amendment that would have raised the initial allotment of $35,000 to fund the additional purchase of six-inch pipe to bring city water to the residents of JE Sartain Road was approved during the Nov. 11 meeting for the same amount as initially listed.

This second approval, after a legal review earlier this month by the county attorney, comes after “new information” on the cost of the pipe was proposed.

Commissioner and former Director of the Manchester Water and Sewer Department Jeffery Perry said that the $35,000 would purchase six-inch pipe instead of the four-inch pipe that was initially funded in January.

But in upsizing the line, the county’s investment would only fund about 3500 feet of line, not enough to connect both ends of JE Sartain Road. The city agreed to install the line for no cost on the condition that the line is big enough to provide fire flow and that it creates the loop.

Then-Director Perry told the Water and Sewer Commission in May of 2025, that while a dead-end line would be possible, a loop is preferable for water quality and pressure.

During Tuesday’s meeting, Perry told the commission that the $35,000 would be an adequate amount of money to do the job.

“It’s roughly 3500 linear feet to run pipe to those houses. I got quotes for six-inch pipe. The lowest quote was for $28,000, so $35,000 is enough,” Perry said.

The Times reached out to the city of Manchester to see if it would install the dead-end line but received no response by time of publishing.

The motion to re-approve $35,000 passed 16-1 with Rose Ann Carden Smith offering the no vote and Roger Chambers absent. Not initially on the agenda, the resolution was added by a motion by Todd Malone, who also initially suggested the amended amount due to “new information.” 

Because of technical issues with the vote recording system that plagued the meeting, Jackie Duncan was recorded as making the motion to amend the amount. The motion to add the matter to the agenda passed 16-1 with Perry offering the no vote.

City nixes county plan

In a statement from Manchester Mayor Joey Hobbs regarding the JE Sartain Road waterline project, the city said “Manchester will not move forward with a dead-end waterline simply because that is what the county has chosen to fund.”

Hobbs said the city appreciates Coffee County’s approval of $35,000 toward the water project, but said that the “Water and Sewer Director, Lonnie Foley, has identified several operational advantages to completing a loop, including improved water circulation, maintaining disinfectant residuals, providing alternate water-flow paths, and improving long-term system reliability.”

This opinion is similar to what former Manchester Water Director Jeff Perry said during a Water Commission meeting in May of 2025.

The city said also that a dead-end line creates additional flushing needs, water-quality and maintenance responsibilities that ultimately become the City’s responsibility.

Hobbs said the residents understand that simply putting a pipe in the ground is not necessarily the

best long-term solution. They support completing the loop and are now working to raise the additional money needed to finish the project

He also raised another concern of why county residents are being put in a position where they have to raise money to provide basic water Infrastructure.

“These residents pay county taxes just like everyone else,” said Hobbs. “Providing essential infrastructure and planning for the needs of county residents should be part of the County’s responsibility.”

“I would like to see Mayor Dennis Hunt and the County Commission take a more active

role in finding a complete solution rather than treating the $35,000 pipe purchase as the

finish line.”

Hobbs continued by questioning whether other water providers to the County would be expected to furnish construction, labor, installation, and long-term maintenance at no cost to the County.

“Manchester has consistently been willing to work with the County and contribute its resources, but that partnership should not mean the City automatically assumes the construction burden and long-term operational responsibility for a project funded and directed by the County,” he added.

Has new information come to light?

County Commissioner Todd Malone said during his motion to amend the amount of the allocation back to the $35,000, he cited new information that came to light.

The city questioned the changing recommendation surrounding this project.

The May 8, 2025 Manchester Water and Sewer Commission minutes document that, under former Director Jeff Perry, Walford Engineering provided a preliminary estimate of approximately $600,000 for a larger project that included six-inch waterline and fire hydrants.

Hobbs said that now Perry’s approach is substantially different from before.

“The City has documented that, upon his departure, Mr. Perry deleted files from City servers and factory-reset his city-issued phone. We are working directly with Walford Engineering to recover the original project report and supporting documentation,” Hobbs said.

“The County should be making infrastructure decisions based on documented engineering not conflicting recommendations or someone’s recollection. Mr. Perry’s former position with Manchester does not establish the engineering qualifications or technical basis for his current recommendations. If he is recommending a different design, the County should require the engineering analysis to support it,” he said.

Hobbs called for Coffee County to start planning for growth instead of continually addressing infrastructure one immediate problem at a time.

“A short-term solution that creates long-term operational problems and additional expenses for Manchester is not a responsible use of taxpayer resources. The city wants to be part of the solution. Judy Pugh and the other residents are demonstrating a willingness to work toward a better outcome. I would challenge County leadership to demonstrate that same commitment,” Hobbs said.

“These residents deserve more than a partial solution, and they should not have to raise their own money to make up for a lack of long-term planning.”

“We need to work together, share the responsibility, and build infrastructure that serves

this community for decades. That is what responsible local government should look like,” Hobbs concluded.