Although in agreement about everything else concerning Nestle's latest offer to the City of Red Boiling Springs, which provided for $70,000. a year for five years to be paid to the city in lieu of annexing the Nestle property that runs along Hwy. 52 for one mile outside of the current city limits, the RBS City Council could not agree to meet Nestle's condition that the city freeze water and swear rates for Nestle for five years. The Council voted 3-3, but Mayor Gregory broke the tie with a "no" vote, saying that he could not in good conscience agree to the rate freeze. City Attorney Gary Copas agreed with the Mayor, stating that the Council had no way of knowing how the rates would fluctuate during the next five years and thus, how much of a rate hike would be passed on to the city and residents of Red Boiling Springs.
Characterizing himself as Nestle's messenger, John Cook, and County Mayor Glen H. Donoho made an impassioned plea to the Council to accept Nestle's terms concerning the rate freeze. Saying that Nestle had met every obligation and shown nothing but generosity toward the cities of Red Boiling Springs and Lafayette and Macon County, both men asked the Council to reconsider their position. "I'd like to see Red Boiling Springs, Lafayette, Macon County and Nestle Waters benefit by this agreement," Donoho said. But, the Council's answer to yet another ultimatum to decide by meeting's end was "no." Since then, according to Cook, Nestle's attorney John A. Gupton III, from the law firm of Baker, Donelson, Bearman, Caldwell and Berkowitz, has permanently withdrawn the offer. Cook says he hopes, "there are no hard feelings," between the Council and Nestle over this or any other issue, and in fact the Council reached an agreement with Nestle at Thursday's meeting regarding a water line from the Oshkosh holding tank to the new plant, for which Nestle has agreed to pay.
George Garden, from city engineers Barge, Waggoner, Sumner and Cannon, Inc. discussed the need for the city to find new water sources outside of the Salt Lick Creek watershed. He said, "There are times during the summer, where the city's limit of 930,000 gallons of water per day are exceeded. The state," he said, "won't allow more water to be withdrawn," so the city needs to explore another source. Many other issues concerning water lines, the purchase by RBS of water from Lafayette, renovation of the city's water lines downtown and elsewhere under the 2003 CDBG Water System Rehabilitation grants, water supply to the Nestle facilities, the holding tanks and discharge of sewage, cash commitments from the City as regards the total cost of renovation and the building of new water lines were discussed. In fact, there were so many issues before the Council on Thursday night concerning water, that the Mayor asked for a special meeting on Thursday June 17th to discuss them fully.
In other business before the Council the move from Com Cast Cable network to a locally run cable network, Celina Cable, was approved, as was Ordinance #04-4 to regulate the display, sale and delivery of ephedrine, pseudoephedrine and phenylpropanolamine. The 2004-5 budget was approved and a 1,400' waterline extension on King Hill Road and a 2,040' waterline extension on Tucker Lane also were approved. Resolution #6-10-04 concerning Macon County ambulance drivers Wayne Newberry and Lawrence Hollis also was passed. In that regard, the ambulance drivers were formally thanked by the Council for the city of Red Boiling Springs for their long service.
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