CULLMAN — Opponents of an expected effort by two outgoing county commissioners to pass a number of final-hour resolutions to bolster a controversial water utility will stage a public demonstration an hour prior to the start of the pair’s final commission meeting Tuesday morning.

The effort, according to organizer Jackie Satterfield, is to bring a very real sort of public pressure to what he feels will be a crucial moment in the legacies of outgoing associate county commissioners Doug Williams and Wayne Willingham.

Promoted as the “Take Back Our Water Rally,” the event — which required a parade permit from the City of Cullman — will be held at 9 a.m. Tuesday in front of the Cullman County Courthouse, only steps away from the commission meeting room where Williams, Willingham and commission chairman James Graves will assemble as an elected body for the final time.

And, said Satterfield, he expects the turnout to reflect public outrage over the associate commissioners’ continued support for the two water boards — the Governmental Utility Services Corporation of Cullman County (GUSC) and the South Cumberland Cooperative District (SCCD) — they passed into existence in April.

“We hope to make these two commissioners aware that most people in Cullman County do not agree with their decision to create a GUSC board, thus creating a water board, thus giving away $30 million worth of assets that belong to the people of Cullman County,” he said Saturday.

If organizers have their way, most of the people who show up for the rally will stay for the 10 a.m. commission meeting and let their voices be heard when the body opens the floor — as it does at the start of every meeting — to receive brief feedback, one speaker at a time, from the people whom they represent.

“It would be our desire that, during the public comments time, anyone who wishes to speak will be given the opportunity,” said Satterfield. “We feel like there will be a lot of people there — and several of them will have something to say.”

Several elected officials who have taken an active role in proposing ways to overturn the creation of the GUSC and SCCD are expected to speak at the rally.

Senate majority leader Zeb Little, who has been active in organizing public meetings over the summer to hear feedback on fallout over the water controversy, is scheduled to address the crowd, along with District 12 Rep. James Fields.

Little said Saturday the commission may find it difficult to move forward with its plans to approve a $500,000 bond to defend the GUSC and SCCD, as well as to pass a carte blanche resolution obligating the county to pay the Birmingham law firm that is defending the boards in several concurrent court battles, if it must look overwhelming opposition to the measures straight in the eye.

“It will be a routine county commission meeting,” said Little, “but I think it’s important, because it will be harder for them to do something that is wrong in the face of that many people. I hope it’s standing room only. I hope everyone attends — everyone who is interested in showing an opinion on the future of our water.

“I think at the last commission meeting, there were attempts to do things; to add things to the agenda [obligating the county to stand behind the water boards] that the public is against. And I think a show of opposition to those things Tuesday will be important. Hopefully, the two outgoing commissioners will have realized that the course they’ve taken has not been one that’s supported by the majority of the people.”

Tuesday’s commission meeting will be the last before two new associate commissioners  take office at a swearing-in ceremony at the commission’s Nov. 10 meeting following next Tuesday’s general election.

The four candidates for associate commissioner — Stanley Yarbrough, Willy Hendrix, Keith Smith and Darrell Hicks — have avidly watched the commission’s actions during the runup to the Nov. 2 election, and even filed a lawsuit against the commission after it attempted to pass a series of measures at its Oct. 7 meeting committing county resources to bolstering the GUSC and SCCD, both administratively and before the courts.

Satterfield said the rally may have a bittersweet air for those who support a dissolution to the two utility boards.

“I guess a small part of it may be celebratory Tuesday, because it’s the last meeting where these two commissioners can take any action that could potentially hurt the county,” he said. “But that would be a very small part...We don’t want them to do that. We’re glad they’re leaving office because we feel that the commission as a whole has not been able to function for three or four months now.

“But,” Satterfield added, “the main thing we want to do is to urge them to cast their vote on Tuesday after hearing from the public and knowing, for one final time, where the public stands. We want them to know that it’s not too late for them to do the right thing.”



‰Benjamin Bullard can be reached by e-mail at bbullard@cullmantimes.com or by telephone at 734-2131 ext. 270.