The County Water and Waste Water Treatment Authority (WWTA) has reached agreement with county officials on the issue of turning over records of the pay of WWTA attorney John Anderson.
At the same time, attorney Anderson has agreed that he will no longer serve as the city attorney for East Ridge.
County Commissioner Curtis Adams said he met Monday with WWTA leaders Henry Hoss and Ed Watt, and it was agreed that the county will get details on the hourly billings of attorney Anderson to the WWTA. He said, "There will be no lines marked out."
Commissioner Adams said that satisfies his issue over the billing, and it will no longer be necessary for the County Commission to sue the WWTA under the state Sunshine Law.
Mr. Hoss said attorney Anderson will stay on as the WWTA attorney. He said, "I believe that every member of the WWTA board is fully satisfied with his services."
He said he had asked attorney Anderson to make sure there are no conflicts of interest involving his service to WWTA. He said a potential conflict is his serving as East Ridge city attorney because the WWTA operates the East Ridge sewer systems. But he said he did not believe there had been any "double billing" by attorney Anderson.
He said when attorney Anderson represented developers he had fully alerted WWTA officials about any possible conflicts.
A special meeting of the WWTA board had been set for today at noon to discuss the future of attorney Anderson as WWTA attorney, but it has been canceled.
Mr. Hoss said he has been assured that county officials are not requesting the dismissal of Attorney Anderson by the WWTA.
Mr. Hoss said he had not required attorney Anderson to turn in itemized legal bills in the past because he had been closely involved with the issues attorney Anderson was dealing with and felt the billings received were fair and reasonable.
He said attorney Anderson in the future will turn in itemized statements with his billings.
Mr. Hoss said it will take attorney Anderson and his law office staff 2-3 weeks to manually retrieve the requested itemized billings.
He said those will then be shown to County Commission members.
Mr. Hoss said he hopes the meeting with Commissioner Adams resolves the Anderson issue and any other conflicts between the WWTA and the county.
Commissioner Adams said he urged Mr. Hoss to have a closer relationship with county officials and to brief the County Commission from time to time on WWTA matters.