McComb selectmen rejected a motion Tuesday to contract with Spiller Consulting Co. to audit the city’s utility accounts for overbilling or calculation errors.
Mayor Whitney Rawlings said he was not comfortable with the idea, and Selectman Tommy McKenzie was the only one to vote in favor of it.
Selectman Ted Tullos recused himself from the 1-4 vote, noting that the company employs one of his relatives.
“I just don’t have a good feeling about this business, myself,” Rawlings said. “It’s nothing against the company, I just don’t like how this thing works.”
The city would have split the savings with Spiller Consulting for two years if errors were found, but would pay the company no money if no errors were found. Rawlings said the same company proposed a contract a few years ago and that also was voted down.
Selectman Michael Cameron attempted to table the motion until city administrator Quordiniah Lockley could look into the company’s history with previous clients, but the motion died without a second.
The board also:
• Tabled a motion to approve the financial report for April. Due to technical difficulties with the selectmen’s tablet computers, they were unable to view the report to approve it.
• Approved a $110-per-day cost to house juvenile inmates at the Adams County Juvenile Detention Center, an increase of $10.
• Transferred $1,000 from the police department’s office supply fund to purchase a new computer firewall.
• Approved a $12,882 budget amendment for a Federal Aviation Administration grant to add fencing and lighting to the McComb-Pike County Airport. The amount reflects a required 2.5 percent match toward the $547,695 grant, and Pike County supervisors have approved the same 2.5 percent match.
• Approved a budget amendment of $141,419 in grant funds for the Recycling Pike County Cooperative Grant to expand the recycling program to Summit, Magnolia and Osyka.
• Authorized a $19,183 payment to Neel-Schaffer for the Summit Street East Interceptor project.
• Authorized a $138,661 payment to T.L. Wallace Construction of Columbia for the Summit Street East Interceptor project.
• Authorized a $47,228 payment to Live Oak Construction of Natchez for the construction of concession stands and press boxes for field Nos. 3 and 4 and the McComb Sports Park.
• Authorized a $58,425 payment to Dickerson & Bowen of Brookhaven for recently completed 10-street overlay project in McComb.
• Authorized a $12,180 payment to the Pike County Sheriff’s Department for housing city inmates in March.
• Awarded the bid to renovate the George Edwards Road water tank to Diamond Enterprises of Gloster, which submitted a low bid of $197,200.
• Approved travel for Rawlings and McKenzie to a Tuscaloosa Marine Shale Summit in Houston, Texas, in June.
• Approved a proclamation declaring May 19 to 25 as National Public Works Week.
• Discussed an upcoming vacancy on the McComb Housing Authority board. Term C, filled by Greg Partman, which expires May 31. Rawlings said Partman has expressed an interest being reappointed.
• Agreed to advertise three upcoming vacancies on the Historic Preservation Commission.
• Approved payment of a “13th check” to retirees of the fire and police departments covered under the disability and relief fund.
• Added a waste coordinator/program manager position to the department of public works. The employee will be responsible for the countywide recycling project.
• Hired Zirick Daniels as a firefighter on a probationary basis. Daniels has worked as a firefighter for Columbia previously.
• Announced there will be no work session Tuesday due to the Ward 4 runoff between Selectman Melvin Joe Johnson and challenger Donovan Hill, which is the same day. The next board meeting is 5:30 p.m. May 27.
