Macon Water Authority OKs spending policy, moves to increase charitable contributions
District 1’s Elaine Lucas announces leukemia diagnosis, asks for prayer, but vows to continue her community work during treatment
District 1’s Elaine Lucas announces leukemia diagnosis, asks for prayer, but vows to continue her community work during treatment. (Liz Fabian | The Macon Newsroom)
The Macon Water Authority approved its new purchasing card policy, moved to boost the budget for charitable contributions and learned District 1’s Elaine Lucas is fighting leukemia.
About 20 minutes before Lucas announced her diagnosis, Chairman Gary Bechtel called her out of order for “accusatory” remarks concerning alleged spending infractions that prompted drafting a purchasing card manual.
Attorney Jay Strickland, who wrote the new policy, said because the cards are primarily used in emergencies, executives can over-ride the $2,000 single transaction limit or $25,000 credit card limit on a case-by-case basis.
The policy enacts an annual board review of expenditures and calls for the board chairman and comptroller to scrutinize expenses made by the president, who oversees all other transactions.
Lucas voted against the new policy, although she said she was “very, very pleased” they were moving in the right direction.
“However, I am dissatisfied that previous infractions… they have not been taken care of. You know, the hop, helicopter hop, over to the island in California, the dinners and celebrations that have been just routinely paid for through the purchasing card that was cut up,” Lucas said, prompting Bechtel to bang the gavel, repeatedly telling her she was “out of order” and to cease.
Lucas’ concerns stemmed from a news article alleging MWA President Ron Shipman took a $760 airplane ride to Catalina Island while in California for a water conference. The story was later corrected to indicate it was a ferry ride for multiple people.
Shipman, Bechtel and Macon-Bibb Commissioner Bill Howell, who sits on the MWA board, told The Macon Newsroom the credit card charge was to visit a water treatment plant that converts salt water and uses a unique pumping system due to the hilly terrain.
Some spouses were on board, but Howell said he reimbursed the authority for his wife’s expenses.
In April, Lucas cited the California helicopter ride as she called for a grand jury investigation into alleged spending violations, although Shipman has said there was no clear-cut policy when he took the helm and had since enacted tighter spending accountability. The Macon Newsroom’s request for information about a possible criminal investigation made through District Attorney Anita Howard’s communications firm was never answered.
In March, amid allegations of improper spending raised in a contentious meeting, Shipman cut up his purchasing card and temporarily suspended MWA executive’s use of purchasing cards.
Thursday, Lucas revisited that incident and accused Shipman of violating policy by destroying MWA property in cutting up his card. After Shipman suspended credit card use, Lucas missed a conference in Colorado when she declined to use a personal credit card for travel and be reimbursed later.
In Thursday’s discussion of the new policy, MWA Vice President of Field and Plant Operations Michel Wanna told the board that staff members are now reluctant to use credit cards because of the recent scrutiny and public accusations of over-spending.
“You will have a problem in an emergency,” Wanna said.
“I’m not sure I like your attitude on that,” Lucas replied. “You do great work out in the community and your folks, your workers, do, you really do, but when you’re dealing with taxpayers’ money, then you have to, you fall under greater scrutiny than if you were, if it’s your money. It’s not yours.”
MWA does not have taxing authority and is funded by ratepayers, not taxpayers.
Relief for ratepayers, public appeals
The authority plans to reach out to the Department of Family and Children Services, DFCS, and the Economic Opportunity Council, EOC, to assess the needs of people struggling to pay their water bills.
The board learned Thursday that the Macon Water Alliance, the authority’s separate, non-profit organization that funds the annual Fishing Derby and charitable giving, has assets of more than $252,000 including more than $200,000 in a certificate of deposit and about $50,000 cash on hand.
While the alliance regularly provides money to DFCS, recently a water customer said she struggled to get assistance from them.
In an Aug. 19 letter to MWA requesting $5,000, DFCS stated the $2,500 allocated in July of 2024 was depleted by December and they were trying to assist people through other avenues.
The request was tabled because authority members indicated they could do more.
“I’m telling you, $5,000 is nothing compared to what’s needed,” Lucas said.
MWA Finance Committee Chair Dwight Jones, who initiated creating the alliance in 2015 to ease ratepayers’ burdens and not violate gratuity laws, said he is disappointed the fund hasn’t been utilized to the extent it should be and that DFCS does not regularly ask for more.
“I think five (thousand) is very light. That’s for a whole year. That’s laughable,” Jones said.
District 2’s Desmond Brown said the board needs to have a greater understanding of how DFCS uses the funds.
“It is a blessing to have this amount of money, but I would rather go to maybe another organization that’s going to give us a more transparent use of the funds, other than just paying the bills,” Brown said.
Macon-Bibb Commissioner Valerie Wynn, who sits on the board, said she would like a better accounting of how the funds are used and recipients chosen for assistance..
“There’s a lot of people out there with this need, but I don’t think we’re reaching them all,” Wynn said.
Jones wants to make more money available to those in need, if there is accountability.
“I would think upwards of $10,000 if you have assurance as a board that you’ve got an organization that’s going to be boots on the ground and get it to the people that need it most,” Jones said.
In public comments, multiple people asked the authority to intervene in a recent Macon-Bibb County Planning & Zoning Commission decision to rezone 18.25 acres off Hall Road for an auto auction.
Speakers said they were concerned about the environmental impact of residue from over 700 cars on the lot washing into a creek that flows to the Ocmulgee River.
Bechtel, who has served on P&Z, said MWA had nothing to do with making that zoning decision, but will review plans for stormwater and water and sewer lines.
“We are responsible for the watershed within our area, monitor it and report to the state on the condition of the watershed. So we will never do anything that’s going to put that in danger,” he said.
Don Druitt, former director of the Macon-Bibb County Emergency Management Agency, also addressed the board. He has submitted to local and state lawmakers a realignment plan that would make the Macon Water Authority districts coincide with county commission districts, remove one of the county’s appointed members and have the chairman elected from within by the members of the board, not the public.
Early this year, Lucas’ husband, State Sen. David Lucas introduced Senate Bill 337 to restructure the board, stagger terms, remove a county representative, raise salaries and mandate more than one meeting a month.
As the board was adjourning Thursday night, Lucas asked for a point of personal privilege, but was repeatedly rebuffed by Bechtel, who later said he had no idea she wanted to speak about her current health challenges.
Lucas proceeded anyway.
“I’m just going to go ahead and say it, and those who want to listen can listen and everybody else can leave if you want to,” she said.
“We’re adjourned,” Bechtel reminded her.
“See that’s a Trump kind of thing there,” she replied. “But I wish to say that I have recently been diagnosed with leukemia, and we’re fighting the battle.”
Lucas explained she is under the care of doctors at Emory and in Macon and taking daily treatments with pills and shots, but pledged to keep serving and asked for prayer.
“I wish to say that my commitment to this community is as strong as it’s ever been. I will continue to work on behalf of citizens until the day that I’m no longer here,” she said. “I am still committed to pushing our legislative delegation to implement changes to this board. I am still committed to not letting anybody dampen my voice as your voice here, so I promise that to you. Y’all just don’t sneeze on me.”
Civic Journalism Senior Fellow Liz Fabian covers Macon-Bibb County government entities for The Macon Newsroom and can be reached at [email protected].