Atkinson County takes over Pearson water system, says it has some money for repairs
By T.S. Carter
ATKINSON COUNTY, Ga. – A collapsing water system and a failure to heed basic rules for financial accountability have put Pearson in a major fix that threatens the availability of drinking water.
Burst water-pipes, service interruptions and frequent “boil water”notices have created loads of despair in this seat of Atkinson County, according to Facebook postings. But City Hall has been occupied by problems of its own. 
Atkinson County commissioners recently came to the rescue of suffering residents. It agreed in early September to take over and help to repair Pearson’s water & sewer system until the town can get back on its feet.
Meanwhile, problems at City Hall worsened September 8 with a Georgia Bureau of Investigation arrest of City Clerk Patricia Ballard on a lengthy list of corruption-related charges. She joins Mayor Robert “Buster” Johnson in feeling the cold steel of police handcuffs this year.
The GBI arrested Johnson on multiple corruption charges in February. He has been free on a $76,000 bond since late March and wears an ankle monitor.
In a move that many Pearson residents may see as an opportunity for a new start for the town of about 1,900 people, Johnson resigned from his post September 9. The resignation elevated Tony Williams from mayor pro-tem to mayor.
Williams took over as mayor pro-tem after the early June arrest of then-Mayor Pro-Tem Jeren Lemarcus Fullmore on breaking and entering charges unrelated to the City Hall corruption investigation that led to the GBI arrests of Johnson and Ballard. Fullmore continues to serve on the council and has said he plans to run for mayor in November.
While the GBI has been keeping an eye out for wrongdoing at City Hall, the Georgia Department of Audits and Accounts has been waiting for Pearson to give it state-mandated annual financial audits for 2021, 2022, 2023.
Georgia local governments do not want to land in the Department of Audits and Accounts’ doghouse. The reason: Failure to submit audits puts them on a delinquent list that keeps them from borrowing money or receiving grants from the state or federal government.
The department acts as a credit reporting agency of sorts. It provides state agencies with a place to check on the financial soundness of local governments seeking loans or grants.
Without audits, a lending agency has no way to assess a local government’s credit worthiness.
Pearson is not alone on the late list. Nearby Enigma in Berrien County and about 120 other Georgia cities are on it.
Pearson needs the help of the Georgia Environmental Finance Authority, or GEFA, which administers a state-funded loan program called the Georgia Fund. The Fund supports water, wastewater, and solid waste infrastructure projects.
It won’t do business with a city or other entity on the delinquent list, GEFA said in an email.
But Atkinson County is nowhere on the list and says it has been awarded grant money from GEFA to begin repairs to Pearson’s troubled water system. “We’ve approved an intergovernmental agreement,” said Atkinson County Commission Chairman Benjamin “Parker” Liles in an interview.
“The only way to get the funding was for the county to take it over,” Liles added.
“This is just temporary until they can get their audits caught up and become eligible for money.”
He said the extent and total costs of the repairs have not been determined and added: “We are assessing that with the Georgia Rural Water Association.,”
The takeover includes control of the Water and Sewer Fund, an enterprise fund that must survive on its own customer-generated revenues. “Once we get everything fixed,we’re handing them back” the Fund, Liles said.
Atkinson County taxpayers won’t pay any of the costs, according to Liles. “City taxpayers are on the hook for that,” he said.
The four remaining members of the Pearson City Council “are working with us,” Liles said.
The Georgia Municipal Association provided technical guidance in creating the inter-governmental agreement. Now it’s lending a hand to help Pearson get caught up on its audits, said Emily Davenport, GMA consultant for this region of the state.
“We are actively providing technical assistance to identify firms to help get their audits caught up to date and to help identify potential sources of funding to assist them,” Davenport said in an email. “The city reached out to us to support and assist them, and they have been willing and eager to address the challenges they have experienced.”
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