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November 9, 2009

TIMES EDITORIAL: City made mistake backing out of mediation plans

The Cullman Times

CULLMAN — We're not quite sure if the 20-year drama on water issues in Cullman County is a tragedy or a comedy at this point. Perhaps it's a little of both.

With so many competing factions and dueling proposals through the years -- including the recent push by two county commissioners to take water from Smith Lake instead of building a new dam on the Duck River -- it was encouraging to see both the city and county leaders agree on one thing last week. They wanted to hire a mediator to work out their differences.

Or so we thought.

After announcing the city and county would pay a combined $10,000 for an expert mediator to help make a decision on the contentious water issue, the City of Cullman had a last-minute change of heart. They refused to hire the mediator after all, choosing instead to run full-speed toward their preferred -- and very expensive -- Duck River dam project.

Now, we still think the city is right to back the Duck River plan. It appears to be the most well-developed concept, with the most detailed and thorough route to a long-term water source for the Cullman region.

We suspect the mediator would see it the same way.

If the City of Cullman's Duck River plan really is the slam-dunk case they say it is, the city shouldn't have anything to fear from a mediator. The price of mediation is tiny, too, compared to the $60 million it would take to build a reservoir on Duck River, plus the tens of millions of dollars to upgrade our water treatment facilities to process the extra supply.

Truth is, the chance to hire a mediator was the first sign we've seen of city and county leaders working to develop a consensus on water issues. Both sides make good points and have legitimate concerns about the ownership, expenses and oversight of the future water system.

That's why we were encouraged to see the city turn to mediation. It showed they were at least interested in settling their differences with the county. We would hope the Cullman Utilities Board might even consider granting their biggest customer -- the Cullman County water system -- more control over the decisions that are made.

Instead of extending an olive branch, though, the city extended a fist.

That's no way to build consensus. On an issue as critical and expensive as the region's water supply, working together is the only way to realize the best solution for us all.

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