Aldermen approve help for utility

The Holly Springs Board of Aldermen approved allocation of $250,000 to hire Southern Electric Corporation of Mississippi to help the Holly Springs Electric Department with setting utility poles.

Mayor Sharon Gipson recommended an agreement with the company to remove three poles on the system and to move 31 poles required for a Spring Creek bridge project to be undertaken by the Mississippi Department of Transportation on Highway 178 East.

In discussions, Ward 4 alderman Patricia Merriweather asked to table the action until a general manager is hired to lead HSUD.

Gipson said no matter who is hired as general manager, the work is still going to be needed.

Gipson said DeSoto Electric was asked if the company could do the work and they couldn’t commit to the project because of an already busy schedule.

Ward 3 alderman Colter Teel wanted to secure an agreement with Southern Electric, saying even electric cooperatives use private companies to help when the work is more than regular crews can get done.

Ward 1 alderman Bernita Fountain wanted to know if the money is in the existing budget to cover the cost of the project.

Gipson said the additional manpower would help revenue to come in faster to HSUD. She asked for six months of contract work, especially as winter approaches and more weather-related crises may arise for the utility, which is severely short-handed as it is.

“If we put out $200,000 are we going to get $200,000 worth of work?” Fountain asked. “At these rates money is going to run through pretty fast.”

“If it comes down to it and we vote yes, and the numbers (money) is not there….” said Teel.

Gipson said the city has to make it worthwhile for Southern Electric to come up and help out.

“I think in the end it will pay for itself,” she said.

Fountain asked if the project would be paid for using a certificate of deposit or a line of credit.

Gipson said the work will help the utility to catch up on projects and, in the meantime, have linemen ready to hit the ground running.

“It is something we cannot afford not to do,” the mayor said.

Alderman-At-Large Dexter Shipp asked whether contract help will be able to help with outages as well as work on these pole replacement or pole moving projects.

Gipson said the contract workers would help HSUD employees, if needed.

“We can’t afford not to do it,” Gipson said.

Merriweather said she has two questions - is the HSUD budget adequate to hire the contractors and whether the utility should wait to hire a general manager first?

“It should be done collaboratively with the general manager of the utility department, to watch the funds and make sure we are in a more accurate (position). It’s not that we don’t need help. We have to be extremely cautious to get inspections and updates,” Merriweather said.

Gipson said the utility department is not in a hole financially.

Teel rescinded his motion.

“We asked for a line of credit based on the number of storms,” Gipson said.

Fountain said the board may have an opportunity to reintroduce the motion “as we go on.”

“This has to happen,” Gipson said. “The politics… doesn’t make sense.”

Shipp asked to hear from George Humphreys, Michael Howell, Earnest Campbell and Annie Mason.

The employees gathered at the front table to take questions.

“We still have a lot of repairs,” Humphreys said. “We could very much use this contract. I am ashamed of the service we are giving now. We need to do better.”

“Are you familiar with Southern Electric Corporation?” Shipp asked.

“No, I’m not,” Humphreys said.

Board attorney Garrett Estes asked if MDOT needed the work done now.

Gipson said MDOT is paying for the project on the moving of the water lines over out of the right-of-way. The agency wanted the work completed before December, she said.

She added that Southern Electric could help replace burned out yard lights and do other repairs or jobs as needed.

“MDOT should be secondary as far as getting other things done,” Howell said.

“No question of need,” said Teel. “It’s only a question of, is it in the budget?”

Fountain said she wants to set a cap on how much to approve in an agreement with Southern Electric, like was done with DeSoto Electric.

Gipson said a cap of $200,000 was set with DeSoto Electric.

Howell said Southern Electric has crews working all over the state.

“We can’t do that job. We don’t have the equipment and people and a lot of experience,” he said.

“They do have people in this area working and hired some of our people,” Gipson said.

Teel asked how long it will take to move 31 poles.

“We can’t do it,” Howell said.

Teel said once the project is started it can’t be stopped. It has to be worked continuously until finished.

Howell said an engineer will have to come in and “spec that job out.”

Discussion ended, Fountain made a motion to approve an agreement with Southern Electric Corporation to assist with moving the utility lines on the MDOT project not to exceed $250,000.

The motion passed by unanimous vote of the board of aldermen.