BALDWIN, Ga. – Baldwin officials approved a new city manager, advanced multiple water and sewer improvements, and closed out two elected officials’ terms Tuesday during a meeting marked by transition and emotional farewells.
The council voted to approve the employment contract for Tiera Morrison, who will begin work as Baldwin’s new city manager at 9 a.m. Wednesday. City attorney Jack Samuels administered her loyalty oath following the vote.
Mayor Stephanie Almagno said Morrison was selected after a months-long application and interview process conducted by a council committee.
“We’re very excited to have you,” Almagno told Morrison. “Thank you so much for taking a chance on Baldwin. You are inheriting good, honest, kind people who work diligently and respectfully for all the residents of Baldwin.”
Sewer Settlement agreement
During the work session, Almagno outlined the long-running issue behind a newly approved sewer credit settlement agreement. She said the city “for many years” charged sewer rates to certain water customers who did not have sewer service.
“We have had an extended process to correct that situation,” she said, adding that the city first had to update its water and sewer use ordinance before it could issue credits. The settlement affects five customers.
“Each one of those customers will receive a certified copy of this agreement and then their water bills will be credited based on the total that they have already paid,” Almagno said.
Water and sewer updates
The council also unanimously approved uncommitting reserved wastewater treatment plan funds and purchasing new aerators for the facility. City Engineer Fletcher Holliday said the eight aerators in the biological nutrient reduction system are more than 20 years old and increasingly unreliable.
Holiday also delivered an extended report on the city’s water and sewer system, crediting the city’s Water Group Committee with advancing long-delayed projects. He said construction on the Highway 441 water system improvements is expected to begin within 60 days.
Furthermore, Holliday stated the city is finalizing a corrective action plan required under an EPD consent order for inflow and infiltration issues at the wastewater plant. The city’s capital improvement plan and rate study are expected to be completed in late January, and new water zone meter maps and cost estimates were submitted the city this week.
The city also reminded residents that 2025 property tax bills have been delayed. They will be due 60 days after they are mailed, with the date posed online, printed on water bills and announced during a future meeting.
A heartfelt goodbye
Tuesday marked the final meeting for both Mayor Almagno and Councilwoman Alice Venter. Almagno, who temporarily served as city manager during the transition from former manager Emily Woodmaster to Jackson, thanked City Clerk Erin Gathercoal for guiding her through the role.
“Being a city manager was not on my 2025 Bingo card,” she said. “I could not have gotten through these six weeks without Erin. This woman is smart and savvy and hardworking.”
Venter, completing her eighth year on the council, offered heartfelt remarks urging the incoming council and staff to remember their purpose.
“We are serving the public, not ourselves,” she said. “When there is a vacuum of communication, rumors will spread, and they’re almost always wrong. Please understand who it is that you are serving.”
Venter added, “It has been my pleasure, now sometimes it has not been my pleasure, to serve over these last eight years, but it is something I would not change for anything in the world. And, don’t make me come back.”
Almagno closed the meeting by thanking staff and volunteers for recent holiday events, including the city’s Christmas tree lighting and its hosting of the countywide Christmas parade.
