Tyrone’s newest councilmen didn’t waste anytime Thursday night getting their feet wet as they successfully asked for a vote on a new sewer contract with Fairburn to be delayed until February.

Town manager Barry Amos explained the council was actually being asked to sign three documents. The first contract would replace the existing agreement between the town and Fairburn and change the funding of the capital costs of the system from 20 years to five year. The town would be required to pay an initial fee of $232,500 and finance the balance over five years.

The second contract would rework the agreement between Tyrone and John Wieland, who developed the Southampton residential and commercial areas on Ga. Highway 74. The previous contract guaranteed Wieland 190,000 gallons a day. The new contract, Amos said, would eliminate the guaranteed capacity, but reserve 45,000 gallons a day to replace the sewer system on Jenkins Road for three county schools.

The final contract would provide sewer capacity to a new development, “Tyrone 2,” located off Kirkley Road. In return for providing sewer service, Wieland would pay the town $232,500.

“As you can see, all these contracts are intertwined,” Amos said.

New Councilman Grace Caldwell had a problem with voting on the contract because she said she had requested several items to be clarified by sewer attorney Drew Whalen, but had not received the information. Caldwell wanted to make sure the contract is in the best interests of the town’s taxpayers and also brought up that both Tyrone’s and Fairburn’s town attorney is Brad Sears.

Town Councilman Paul Letourneau was in favor of voting on the contract Thursday.

“We’ve beat this thing to death. It offers rate relief to Southampton and shuts down the Sandy Creek facility,” he said.

But Caldwell said she was concerned that Tyrone could end up bailing out the Camp Creek Wastewater Plant in Fulton County, which is where Tyrone’s sewerage is shipped.

“Camp Creek was fined $64,000 last year,” she said.

Caldwell asked the contract be placed on the council’s retreat agenda for Jan. 28 and that her questions be answered.

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