By Trent Moore
The Cullman Times
GOOD HOPE —
The Cullman County Commission has requested a wealth of information from the City of Cullman about the proposed Duck River water source project.
Commissioners have asked for every financial statement from the past 12 years that pertains to the city, county and Cullman Utilities Board. The commission is also requesting a copy of the Duck River Watershed Management Plan and all documentation on job creation figures relating to the Duck River project. Any and all minutes, notes or summaries of any meeting of any council, board, committee, subcommittee or other meeting relating to Duck River has also been requested.
The informational inquiry, which cited the Alabama Open Records Act, was sent to the city signed by associate county commissioners Doug Williams and Wayne Willingham.
The water source project in reference is a city-led initiative to dam Duck River and create a supplementary water source. The city plans to create a 640-acre lake and a six-mile pipeline with a 32-million-gallon-per-day capacity. The reservoir would be similar to the one at Lake Catoma, the area’s sole water source.
The county commission is currently the Cullman Utilities Board’s largest water customer, under a contract which runs until 2030.
Every wholesale city water customer — except for the commission — has already signed a new contract in support of the Duck River plan.
Associate Commissioner Williams said the information request was made to give the commissioners a better understanding of the Duck River project before they decide whether or not they will support it.
“We have never taken Duck River off the table for the county,” he said. “It’s hard to make a decision if you don’t have all the information, and I’m not going to sign on to something just because someone said it was a good idea. I like to review and study before I make a decision.”
Associate commissioner Willingham added that he would like to see all the plans and projections to develop a more informed opinion.
“This is just need to know information and we need to know,” he said.
Cullman Mayor Max Townson said the city will be glad to comply with the commissioners’ request.
“We will absolutely work with them and try to answer their questions as best we can,” he said. “We don’t meet behind closed doors and everything we do is public knowledge. I hope this means they are trying to make a decision on whether or not they’ll come along with us on Duck River.”
To expedite the information-gathering process, the commissioners have offered to send a county employee to Cullman city hall from April 19-23 to help assemble the data.
Water has been a hot button topic in Cullman County for the past year, as city and county officials have gone back and forth with different proposals.
Not long after an environmental lawsuit delaying Duck River was resolved in April 2009, the two associate county commissioners proposed an alternate water source plan.
The county’s idea included the construction of a new treatment facility to pump water from Smith Lake, as well as purchasing and upgrading the treatment facilities at Lake Catoma. The creation of a regional water board to oversee water distribution was also a part of the county’s proposal.
The city opted not to participate in the regional plan and have previously said they will continue on with Duck River — with or without the county’s support.
The commissioners are still gathering information about Smith Lake as a potential county water supplier, and a permit to draw water from the lake is currently pending with Alabama Power.
Though associate commissioners Willingham and Williams are undecided on which water source is best for the area, county commission chairman James Graves has been a vocal proponent of Duck River for sometime.
THE DETAILS
Water documents being requested by the Cullman County Commission include:
* Current water agreements between the City of Cullman (the “City”) and the Utilities Board of the City of Cullman (the “Utilities Board”), as well as any predecessor agreements or proposed agreements, including drafts of any such agreements.
* Any and all documents describing or substantiating any water rate increases from the Utilities Board to the City for at minimum the last 12 years including, invoices, contracts, agreements, engineering reports and any and all correspondence or internal communications related to the same.
* Any and all City agreements, contracts, and invoices, describing or substantiating any water rate increases passed on to Cullman County, and any and all correspondence or internal communications related to the same.
* Any and all financial statements of the City and Utilities Board for each of the last 12 years, including all footnotes, work papers, and any correspondence or communications related thereto.
* Any and all budgets of the City and Utilities Board for each of the last 12 years, including any correspondence or communications related thereto.
* Current documentation of the Cullman Economic Development Agency (CEDA) in expending funds on Duck River-related research and project management, including drafts of any agreements for the past 12 years.
* The Duck River Watershed Management Plan.
*Any and all minutes, notes or summaries of any meeting of any council, board, committee, subcommittee or other meeting relating to any of the Duck River subject matter.
* Any and all documentation substantiating the job creation figures promoted by CEDA relating to the Duck River project.
* Any and all minutes, notes or summaries of any meeting of any City board, council, committee or subcommittee meeting relating to any of the subject matter described in items 1 through 9.
* Any and all communications from the City mayor's office relating to any of the subject matter described in items 1 through 9.
* Trent Moore can be reached by e-mail at trentm@cullmantimes.com, or by telephone at 734-2131, ext. 225.
