ALTO, Ga. — Employees from the Alto Public Works and Water Department addressed the Town Council during an emergency meeting Friday, Dec. 12, asking for better communication and involvement in policy discussions following the resignation of their supervisor.
The meeting was scheduled on short notice, with the public notice issued late Thursday. Despite the timing, attendance was higher than at any Alto council meeting in recent memory, with residents and city staff filling the room.
Kimbral Resigns
The meeting was requested by water department employees after Gary Kimbral resigned earlier this fall. Kimbral’s final day with the city was Friday, leaving the department without a supervisor at the time of the meeting.
Mayor Gail Armour said the council had recently discussed reducing overtime for water department employees and reconsidering whether staff should be allowed to take city work trucks home while on call. Armour said she relayed those concerns to Kimbral.
“I spoke to Gary and told him their wishes, and he turned around and put in his two weeks’ notice,” Armour said.
Speaking on behalf of the water department, Skyler Coalley, the most senior employee still working in the department, said staff were not consulted before those policy discussions took place.
“It seems like y’all wanted policy changes, and nobody asked us what we’ve already done to cut back,” Coalley said.
Water department has made adjustments
Coalley said the department has already adjusted on-call schedules to reduce overtime costs, including limiting coverage to two employees per week rather than having all staff on call at the same time. He said the department currently has four employees, with one out on medical leave.
“We’re trying everything we can to save y’all money,” Coalley said.
Coalley said decisions made during council meetings directly affect employees working in the field and asked council members to include staff in future discussions.
“Everything y’all decide here plays an effect out there on me and the other employees,” he said. “Right now, I need y’all more than ever to know where we’re at.”
Coalley also said he regularly attends council meetings to help answer questions, despite not being required to do so.
“I’m not paid to attend these council meetings, and I don’t live within the city limits, but I’m here every time I can,” he said. “If nothing’s getting done, it falls back to the employees.”
Several residents also addressed the council, including Alto resident and former councilman Greg Pruitt, who spoke in support of allowing on-call water department employees to take city work trucks home.
Pruitt said on-call workers are expected to respond to water emergencies within 20 minutes and that requiring employees to first travel to the city shop could delay response times and result in significant water loss.
“If you’ve got gushing water, you don’t want thousands of gallons spilling while someone has to go get a truck and then come back,” Pruitt said.
No Immediate Policy Changes
Council members said the city is focused on long-term planning while pausing any immediate policy changes.
Councilwoman PJ Huggins said no changes to water department policy will be made until the city meets with a budget consultant next week.
“There should be no change to what the policy has been until we meet with our consultant next week,” Huggins said. “Once that plan is established, then we’ll see what changes need to be made.”
Councilman Allen Fox said longstanding issues within the water department were masked for years by high water consumption from the Mount Vernon Textile Mill, which closed in 2020.
“When the mill closed, that revealed a lot of deficiencies in other areas,” Fox said. “We don’t have the luxury of drowning in sales to Mount Vernon Mills anymore.”
Fox said the town must now improve operations without the revenue cushion it once had. “Money absolutely counts now, and we don’t want to throw good money at bad,” he said.
Councilman Eddie Palmer praised Coalley and department employees for coming forward.
“Skyler, with what y’all have been doing, I’m proud of you, and I’m proud that you have come forward,” Palmer said.
Councilman James Turner said the meeting helped open communication between council members and water department employees.
“You’re the first representation we’ve had from the water department since all of this has been going on,” Turner said. “It’s good to have a representative willing to answer questions.”
After the meeting, Coalley told Now Habersham his goal was to reduce confusion and keep everyone moving in the same direction.
“We all want to be on the same page and work and grow,” he said.
