Water, Waste, & Wastewater - Part II

While Lexington, Alabama, has been chartered as a municipality and later disbanded several times over its existence, the 1950s saw the last and current charter. By the 1960s, the town saw the need for a central water system to replace a myriad of small wells that were often the breeding ground for various diseases.

Having taken out a low-interest, long-term government loan, the town began the arduous task of running cast iron pipe to every home and business (pictured at right is the Lexington Post Office of the 1950s). Due to the small number of businesses located within the town limits, revenue collections were sparse, resulting in small payments on the water system loan. Apparently because of the low interest rate, the city fathers worried little over the loan balance, an amount that was periodically renegotiated.

By the 1990s, Gerald McGee was both mayor of the small town and head of the local water board. McGee realized Lexington was growing at a much slower rate than the nearby communities of Killen and Rogersville and theorized the lack of a sewer system held the community back. The mayor began to campaign for a sanitary sewer system, placing advertisements in the local newspaper promoting the project. McGee, who held several public meetings concerning the proposed project, was met with nothing but positive feedback; however, apparently many of the town's residents were not fully aware of the system's cost or how the project would be financed.

Once the project was underway, many Lexington residents noticed the workers were mainly Hispanic, but their fears were allayed by construction company managers who promised quality work for a low price. Once the sewer system was completed, the residents soon realized what the town had actually purchased was inferior work resulting in sewer lines that would run only downhill and back up during heavy rains.

However, for some residents shoddy construction was only a minor worry. While the sewer didn't reach all incorporated areas, any homes it did reach were charged for sewer usage whether attached to the system or not. Lexington already had the highest water rates in Northwest Alabama, and now many residents were not financially able to pay their monthly bills. Residents contacted various media outlets to express their rage, and, according to Wilsey Mashburn of The Suburban News, some town council members engaged in fist fights after the heated monthly meetings.

The town council eventually relented, accepting only water bill payments from local citizens, while falling behind on both the USDA sewer loan and payments to Tim Shelton's company that provided the town's water. Rumors of missing water department funds of at least $40,000.00 did nothing to quell the anger of Lexington residents, but sewer board chairman James W. Truitt failed to push for a forensic audit. No yearly audits of either entity had been completed since McGee had left the water department, and the town's accounting firm stated requests for paperwork went unanswered.

During this period, the town sold its medical clinic to Dr. Diana McCutcheon, a move that angered many of the residents. The town also initiated a municipal court and garbage collections in an attempt to increase revenue. Using these funds, Lexington paid the tens of thousands owed to Springfield Premium Water, but failed to bring payments up to date with the USDA. Faced with the possible Federal takeover of the town, many citizens blamed Gerald McGee. McGee had already stepped down from his position as head of the Lexington Water Board and subsequently lost his bid for re-election to Herman Jaggers who campaigned on a platform of water and sewer reform.

Upon his election, accountant Herman Jaggers immediately raised the minimum water bill by $10.00, announcing that it was only the beginning. Jaggers also reinstated the monthly sewer charges and retained a collection agency to assist with all past due bills. Herman Jaggers was said to have announced he might not be the best liked mayor in the history of Lexington, but he would be the one who would put the water and sewer departments in the black. Then came the summer of 2006.


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