ALBANY, GA (WALB) -
A stalemate continues between Albany city commissioners and the Water Gas and Light Commission over the cleanup of contaminated property. They don't have a choice, an old manufactured gas plant must be cleaned up.
The debate is over how to pay for it. That still hasn't been decided, but Monday city commissioners instructed the city manager to come up with a plan.
Water Gas and Light officials have been asking the city for financial help to clean up this old manufactured gas plant. The total project could cost anywhere between two and ten million dollars.
"We feel the city is responsible and we feel like we're not telling them anything, we're asking for some funding. And we'll be glad to complete the project," said Keith Goodin, with WG&L.
The Georgia Environmental Protection Division ordered the clean up and ordered officials start digging by March 1st.
To begin the clean up process WG&L needs $750,000. And at Monday's city commission meeting they asked city commissioners to split it 50/50.
"The city owns the property. EPD has told us the property owner shares 50% of the cost of clean up. The operator shares 50," said Goodin.
But commissioners didn't buy it.
"At the end of the day there's no splitting 50/50. It's all the city of Albany. There's no separation," said City Commissioner Christopher Pike.
Instead, commissioners voted to give the city manager, James Taylor, authority to develop a plan on how to fund the clean up with minimal impact on taxpayers.
"if we don't work together to resolve this thing it could really have an adverse impact on the budgets, our ability to put police officers on the street, to have fire trucks come out to your house if your house is on fire," said Pike.
Pike is confident they'll be able to meet the state's deadlines. But WG&L isn't so sure.
"We're running out of time. And so my intentions are to move forward with the project and when it gets time to start investigative digging if this hasn't been resolved then we'll just have to find the money somewhere, somehow," said Goodin.
WG&L officials say they don't plan on increasing rates to fund this. While work must begin by March first, WG&L officials plan on starting a month earlier.
Commissioners will formally vote at Tuesday night's meeting on the motion to have the city manager develop a funding plan for the cleanup.
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