Phelps County Sewer District Board Chairman Bob Simpson heading into the Waynesville City Council meeting on Thursday said he had a flashback to 1991.
Simpson, who was asked to attend the City Council meeting at the urging of Waynesville Mayor Cliff Hammock and other board members, said he thought about those words spoken by motorist Rodney King after he was beaten by Los Angeles Police officers after speeding 27 years ago.
“I thought about that (Rodney King's statement). When I stepped out of my car, I'm thinking, 'Can we all get along,'” Simpson said. “Then I just felt like it was going to be some sort of ambush.”
What transpired in that meeting was reluctance of the City Council to talk to Simpson and the rest of the PCSD board members who attended after Waynesville officials reviewed the latest proposal to settle a boundary dispute.
“I'm prepared to go to Jeff City (for mediation), because common sense, obviously, cannot prevail,” Mayor Hammock said.
“Reading this, there's obstinacy and stupidity coming from your committee,” Hammock said.
And Hammock was not alone in his criticism. Other council members wasted little time in offering their exception to the impasse.
“We're wasting our time,” Ward 1 Councilwoman Twyla Cordry said. “This is no use.”
Ward 4 Councilman Michael France expressed the same sentiment.
“There's no way I would support this agreement,” France said of the apparent fifth attempt to come to an agreement.
But it was Ward 2 Councilman Alan Clark who was the most disappointed at the impasse.
“For four months, we worked over (tea) and crumpets. I felt real comfortable, like we were making progress. Then you send us this motion for summary?” Clark asked.
“I don't want to negotiate with this board anymore. I don't care whatever graphics or maps you've got. I don't want to see them. You're holding us hostage, our economic development hostage. I'm beyond mad.”
The boards separated as Hammock thanked the Sewer District Board members for attending.
“I am hoping something can be worked out . . . Thank you for your time,” Hammock said.
For his part, Simpson, who feared a confrontation heading into the meeting, was shocked.
“I'll tell you what I think . . . That was the worst exhibition of a board in a meeting in my life,” Simpson said.
“We came to that meeting at their request. We came with good intentions. As best as I can tell, we never even got into a discussion. I was shocked,” Simpson said Friday, the day after the City Council meeting.
Simpson said he's at a loss of where to go next, but thought about what happened and started drafting a letter to Waynesville Mayor Hammock.
“I'm at a loss. I've drafted a letter that I'm thinking of sending to the mayor and City Council. I'm only one member of this board, so I'd like to let my board members see a draft of it before I send it,” Simpson said.
For his part, Simpson said it's not politics. He and his board members are volunteers trying to serve the county.
“We're all members of the community,” Simpson said. “We're not elected. We get no pay. We have no political affiliations. We're just trying to do what's best for the Sewer District and the folks of Pulaski County . . . I'm just disappointed.”
The impasse results from a sewer district lawsuit against Waynesville over the city's decision to run a sewer line out to Skyline Cycles, a Honda and Yamaha motorcycle dealership, that's now inside the Waynesville city limits.
The city's position is that it can provide sewer service to areas it annexes; the sewer district's position is that the sewer district has the right to provide sewer service to any residence or business that was outside the Waynesville or St. Robert city limits when the sewer district was formed two decades ago.
While the sewer district has lines in many parts of Cullen Township and a court decision several years ago allowed it to expand into the county's other five townships, many of the sewer district's customers have their sewage collected by the sewer district which then pumps it to the Waynesville city sewer treatment plant, which is the contention.
In other action, the City Council …:
• Approved the appointment of Nathan Carmack to the Park Board.
• Approved a conditional-use permit for a youth home for children younger than 4 years. The home is a holding facility where children will stay before they are adopted. The facility, which will be run by Bletel Residential Homes, is located at 1910 Long Drive.
• Approved the Planning & Zoning Committee's recommendation of adoption of the city' Comprehensive Plan.
• Approved a joint agreement with the Waynesville School District to alleviate stormwater run-off in the Tiger Addition. The pact allows for the construction of a concrete swale to collect and carry water away from areas that have been experiencing repercussions from the unusually wet spring and summer.
• Approved a joint-use pole agreement with Embarq Communications. The city will collect from Embarq a fee of $6 per pole per year for the use of city utility poles.
• Approved an ordinance that will allow for the installation of excess flow valves for natural gas systems in the city. The valves will be installed on all residential customers and new services. A fee of $50 will be charged to customers for the valves.
• Approved an ordinance allowing for the construction of Pearson Hollow Sanitary Sewer improvements at a cost of $196,258.50.
• Agreed to write off as uncollectible $169,640.02 in accounts receivable to the city. The measure is more of an accounting routine to allow the amount to be removed from the city's books as assets. Receipts of the funds still will be pursued as income.
• Reappointed Police Chief Robert Carter.
• Approved the reappointment of Don McCulloch as municipal judge.
• Approved an agreement with the Waynesville School District for a School Resource Officer (SRO). The council also approved a joint pact with the district on the operation of Channel 12. The School Board approved the same accord earlier in the week.
• Approved a resolution to support the Pulaski County Growth Association. Councilwoman Luge Hardman urged the resolution and that the city redirect the $5,000 it sends annually to the Regional Commerce and Growth Association instead to the PCGA, which council members favored.
