Coffee County commissioners approve sale of county water system to City of Douglas

The Coffee County Board of Commissioners voted unanimously June 7 to approve the sale of the county'owned water system to the City of Douglas. County Attorney Tony Rowell told the board the county has discussed the potential transfer for more than a year, held a public meeting and mailed notices to system users.

The vote came after Rowell outlined the planned process: the commission would approve the sale at the meeting and schedule a later closing so the City of Douglas could assume ownership and begin billing customers as of the closing date. Commissioner Johnny Wayne Jowers moved to approve the sale; Commissioner Jimmy Kitchens seconded the motion and the commission voted unanimously to approve it.

Why this matters: transferring ownership of the water system shifts operational responsibility and customer billing to the municipal utility and removes that system from county management. Rowell said the county had already met procedural notification requirements by holding a public meeting and sending notices to users.

What follows: the board did not set a closing date in the meeting record; Rowell said a closing would occur at a later date. No vote tally by named commissioner was recorded beyond the unanimous approval noted in the minutes.

Speakers quoted or referenced in this article are listed by the role and first reference used in the meeting record. For additional documentation, the county clerk's office has the sale resolution and closing timetable.