September 19, 2007
JCWSA BOARD ASKED TO LOOK AT ETHICS QUESTIONS ON LAND DEALINGS
BY EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
The Jasper County
Water & Sewer Authority (JCWSA) held its monthly meeting
last Tuesday, September 11, 2007 at 6:00PM in the Bank of
Monticello Annex. The room was unusually full with a newspaper
reporter, a former member (Roger Bell), and 8 other guests.
No JCWSA
member was introduced to the public nor were there
name plates displayed; therefore those in attendance did
not know who was speaking if they didn’t personally know
who the member was.
JCWSA
members are: Brac Pound, Chairman; Tate Turner,
Mark Walton, Bud Cowan, Foy Bentley, Ken McMichael, Jehan
El Jorbagy, Jimmy Harrison, and Merrill Clark.
Others
in attendance were Linda Jordan, Executive Director-Secretary-and
Treasurer; Tom Brazil—Systems Engineer; and Frank Sherrill—
with Hightower Engineering, Authority Engineer
After the meeting
was opened, Mary Patrick, Chairman of the TWG
addressed the JCWSA board. She questioned why
the agenda was not posted until 4:30PM the previous day.
She pointed out that, based
on Open Meetings Law, the intent of the agenda is to let
people know as far in advance as possible what will be discussed
during the meeting. The JCWSA agenda does
not let anyone know what will be discussed. It tells WHO
might be speaking—Treasurer’s report; Director’s Report;
Engineer’s report; etc. However, under
Unfinished business and New Business nothing is ever listed.
Mrs. Patrick questioned why this was their policy.
The
TWG Chairman then produced maps, deeds, and property listings,
and it appeared that relatives of Executive Director Linda
Jordan were buying land in areas where proposed new water
lines were being considered.
Two possible
instances of conflicts were cited:
- Ocmulgee
Gate Subdivision located off Jackson Lake
Rd. on Cook Rd. is owned by E.O. Jordan, Inc., David Morrison,
Inc. and DIR, Inc. (Van Box). David Morrison Inc. and
DIR, Inc. owned several more lots in subdivisions along
Cook Rd.
- The most
recent purchase by E.O. Jordan, David Morrison, and Michael
Shane Sealy (Mrs. Jordan’s son-in-law) is at the
corner of Palalto Rd. and Thomason Rd. directly across
from the proposed 900 acre subdivision--
land owned by William Blincoe. JCWSA discussed at their
8/23/07 meeting that there had been talks with Mr. Blincoe
about providing water to his proposed subdivision.
- NOTE:
According to the Secretary of State Online Information,
Executive Director Linda Jordan is Secretary and Treasurer
(CFO) of E.O. Jordan, Inc. with her husband (E.O. Jordan)
as President (CEO).
Listen
to entire presentation here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h-H2Uhycugc
See
Maps and Ownership listing of Ocmulgee Gate here:
http://www.taxdogs.com/ogmulgeegate.pdf
See
Maps and Deeds of Palalto Road land here:
http://www.taxdogs.com/palaltoroad.pdf
Mr. Lynn Short
also addressed the JCWSA Board. He told the Board how he
and his wife were called by Linda Jordan who arranged a
meeting to meet at Brac Pound’s office last October. Mr.
Short said, “It wasn’t really a meeting; it was more like
an ambush.” Tate Turner, Brac Pound, and Frank Sherill were
there and wanted to buy the Short land. According
to Mr. Short, Chairman Pound stated, in a threatening manner,
that they (JCWSA) could just take the land. The Short
land is located in the area that the JCWSA calls the “Cedar
Creek Well Fields.”
See:
http://www.taxdogs.com/090707cedarcreek.htm
Listen
to Mr. Short’s presentation here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ndnzi1yh_HU
Later during
the meeting, Ms. El Jorbagy presented a draft of an Ethics
Policy she had been working on. Unfortunately Ms. El Jorbagy
was not in attendance during the opening comments and the
questions, comments, and presentations by those that attended
and addressed the JCWSA. However, she was provided with
the documentation after the meeting.
TWG
encourages the JCWSA board to review these situations very
seriously. An Ethics Policy is definitely needed
immediately. A better method of public notice of JCWSA Meetings
and their proposed items to be discussed is also sorely
needed.
To comment
on this article or to let your feelings be known email us
at taxpayerwatchdogs@yahoo.com
or visit our website. You can also Speak Out on the
message board set up to do just that: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/speakoutjasper/
TWG
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Mission
Statement:
** To keep the taxpayers of Jasper County, Georgia informed
as to where and how
their tax dollars are being spent.
** To keep the taxpayers abreast of local policies and
laws being
discussed and enacted.
** We advocate more open government, less government spending,
and lower property taxes.
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