Legislature has final approval

Again this year, the Peachtree City Council has voted to ask the Georgia Legislature to shorten the length of terms of the board of directors for the city’s Water and Sewer Authority along with its Airport Authority.

Currently as established in legislation to create both, the authority’s directors are chosen by the City Council for a term of five years. But Council voted 3-2 last week to ask the terms to be shrunk to four years.

The General Assembly didn’t take up the measure last year, and due to the split vote it is possible the matter may not be visited by state lawmakers. Some legislators prefer a unanimous action from a local government agency before they follow through on an initiative requested by that particular agency.

Before council voted, WASA Chairman Mike Harman told council that the volunteer WASA positions require a certain length of time to “get up to speed” because of the technical knowledge required. He noted that council gets to choose one new WASA member each year as it is.

Councilman Stuart Kourajian said he wants to be able to vote on “each and every member” of the authorities. Because each has five members, a city council member who serves one four-year term would have a say in appointing only four of the five authority members.

Councilwoman Judi-ann Rutherford said she thought using four-year terms instead would encourage more qualified persons to apply for the positions.

Harman noted that the authorities were created so their decisions wouldn’t become political in nature. Jim Savage, a former City Council members and former airport manager, said the system currently works and thus shouldn’t be “fixed.”

“If you appoint four people in your four-year term, you’ve got control,” Savage said.

Mayor Harold Logsdon and Councilman Steve Boone voted against the motion to ask the terms to be shortened.

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