MDOT project at center stage

A Mississippi Department of Transportation project that will require the Holly Springs utility department to move 30 poles located near bridges in Spring Creek bottom was at the center of a heated board of alderman and mayor discussion at the Oct. 3 meeting.

The city will also have to move waterlines, according to Mayor Sharon Gipson, who recommended hiring a contract crew to do the work.

MDOT is replacing a number of bridges in Spring Creek bottom located on 178 East between Holly Springs and Potts Camp.

Board members were shocked at the prices listed for a regular crew that started at $150 an hour and then went up the scale for overtime and double overtime work, climbing to above $200 an hour.

Gipson said DeSoto Electric, that has been called in for prior assistance, said it could not say when the company could come accept the job because of a lot of work it already has booked.

Gipson recommended Southern Electric for the work and said the project could take up to six months.

She said with a shortage of help in the electric department line crews, she wants to get this job done by a contractor and maybe also employ the company to help with other work that needs to be done, such as replacing street lights and old utility poles.

She said practically every utility pole in Holly Springs could use replacing because most of them are 50 years old, as old as she is.

Gipson said many of the line crews are also old as she is and they are weary as well.

Gipson said she is looking to find new hires who can be trained as linemen, such as a pool of recruits from Northwest Community College. She also said that some linemen who left the city to work with contractors for better pay are showing interest in coming back to work for the city.

Gipson said the rates offered by Southern Electric are very close to those DeSoto Electric charges.

The board members looked at the rate sheet and some aldermen did not want to act on the matter with such late notice.

Alderman Dexter Shipp was one who said he wanted more time to think about the motion before taking a vote.

Gipson asked for a motion to hire Southern Electric to assist linemen and utility staff to get the project started.

Ward 1 alderman Bernita Fountain expressed dismay that the price quoted per hour was $130 an hour when HSUD linemen are only paid $30 to $32 to $35 an hour.

Gipson said HSUD employees have insurance and benefits the contractor may not offer its employees.

“When we were looking at DeSoto, we were in a time of crisis,” Fountain said. “We have some more work to do, of course. The reason we dug ourselves out of that hole… these rates, we can’t afford it.”

Ward 3 alderman Colter Teel felt more urgency in obtaining extra help.

“We’re still extremely shorthanded and doing everything we can do,” he said. “It’s being an employee versus a contractor because some of these people live in South Mississippi. The public is asking what we are going to do to change things.”

Gipson said one way the city can deal with the situation is to have a contractor work with the city moving forward. Yard lights and poles need to be replaced.

“We don’t want to wait for a crisis.” she said.

Fountain asked how long the project is going to take.

“Is this going to be day-today?” she asked.

“We would need them for a while so our team are not so stressed out,” the mayor said. “A contractor is different from a regular employee. Some people who went out as a contractor are looking to return to the city. We would need them no less than six months. They are talking about El Niño. Our team, as wonderful as they are, are so exhausted. Right now, we are concerned with the present.”

Gipson said in some areas outages are not as bad as in other areas.

“But we don’t want to wait until we are in the middle of a crisis,” she said. “This is not about an emergency. So, what is your pleasure.”

Ward 4 alderman Patricia Merriweather said she disagrees with alderman Fountain that the city is on the cusp of an emergency.

“One priority is to get a general manager in place,” she said. “And looking at the budget, I suggest we get a general manager in place in the next two to three weeks.”

Merriweather wants a general manager to be hired who can look at the assessments made by the Tennessee Valley Public Power Association who have been at the utility department. Then create a plan, Phase 1, Phase 2, Phase 3 - the entire plan “so we can reach a goal of getting the entire utility department in place.”

Gipson said a balanced budget was passed.

“I have done my part,” she said.

She said hiring a contractor is needed to address safety issues. She wants Southern Electric to partner in restoring lights.

“Every pole in the City of Holly Springs needs to be replaced,” the mayor said. “This is our solution for the current state. To not vote on this right now is a crying shame.”

“We haven’t had time. I need to do my homework on it,” Shipp said.

Teel agreed with the mayor that the city needs someone they can call for help.

“They are contractors. It’s like a house. I call a plumber when I need a plumber. We still have nothing from IMS about the right-of-way. I’m ready to move on.”

“I searched for a solution; this is the solution in this moment,” Gipson said. “Our team will do the best they can.”

Fountain said she needed more time to reflect.

“I’m not able to vote on it,” she said.

Merriweather said she wants the public to know “we do need help.”

She said she did not know about the HSUD budget and wants to make sure the utility is still working with TVA on reporting.

“We need a GM in place so all of this can come together for the Utility,” she said.

Gipson said a line of credit was requested. The utility also had to deal with the GE to get the billing. And the city made sure there was a balanced budget on all accounts.

“We have to be prepared for whatever comes whether it’s a sunny day or a stormy day,” the mayor said. “A line of credit is not a negative. It’s something companies sometimes do. I want people to know what the numbers say.”

Gipson asked accounting manager Annie Mason to tell the close outs on the interdepartmental accounts - involving an estimated $500,000.

Mason said payments come into the electric department and then the accounts are reconciled with the water, sewer and gas departments.

“Until we get this resolved, we can’t continue to get our annual report done,” Mason said. She said the $500,000 did not involve any outgoing money, only reconciling accounts within the utility.

The board voted to approve the measure of reconciling accounts.

Gipson then made a brief report on TVPPA’s assessments.

TVPPA has made two trips to the utility, she said.

Mr. Suggs with TVPPA found some things and provided a checklist and started working on those items, she said.

Another TVPPA crew worked on safety. They visited the substations and found conditions were better than expected, the mayor said.

With the discussions finished, the board called for an executive session to discuss litigation in the utility department, and personnel in the utility department, Parks & Rec, and the police department.