Sep. 6--The Bibb County Commission on Tuesday took its first steps toward gathering all financial records of Westside Boosters Inc., including outstanding pledges for the boosters-built sports complex.
By a 4-1 vote during a special meeting, the commission agreed to require the Development Authority of Bibb County 'to obtain and provide copies to (the commission) all minutes of meetings of the Westside Boosters Inc. and all financial records and any other records and use all necessary power to collect any and all outstanding pledges for this sports complex project.'
Commissioner Dennis Dorsey, chair of the Budget and Finance Committee, made the motion to pursue the records. Dorsey, Chairman Larry Justice, Sam Hart Sr., and Bert Bivins voted for the measure. Commissioner Joe Allen opposed it.
Afterward, Allen said he opposed the measure because it would allow the commission to go poking into booster financial records before the organization formally becomes defunct Dec. 31. Allen, head of the charitable Kids Yule Love program, likened the concept to the commission prying into the donor lists of Kids Yule Love.
But County Attorney Virgil Adams disagreed, noting that Kids Yule Love hasn't defaulted on a county-backed loan that would cost the county money.
Ward Stone, attorney for the boosters, said his clients still are not ready to hand over the names of those who pledged money to help in the construction of the complex.
'Our position remains as stated,' he said.
Until a court supervises the release of the names, booster officials will keep the donor list confidential, he said.
Also Tuesday, the commission agreed to give the development authority the $75,000 remaining in the boosters' debt reserve account. That money is to help pay expenses.
Tuesday morning, the development authority wrote Georgia Power a check for more than $55,000 to pay an outstanding bill for lighting the soccer field and parking lot. Much of that money had been owed since 1998.
The boosters previously paid Georgia Power for the lights above the football stadium and baseball field but did not pay for the other lighting.
'Personally and as part of Georgia Power, I want to thank you for getting this resolved,' said Jack Baynes, team leader of lighting services for the power company. 'It's been taxing on everybody. You've got a great facility out there.'
The payment, as well as an additional $5,400 owed to the Macon Water Authority, represented the last of outstanding debts against the sports complex, said Kevin Brown, attorney for the authority.
Authority members said they want to ensure the complex is ready for its first football game -- Central Fellowship Christian Academy vs. Augusta Christian Academy this Saturday.
Tom Moody, executive director of the authority, said every light and fixture in the complex will be checked out by Thursday.
Also Thursday, the Bibb County Board of Education is expected to vote to approve a contract between the development authority and school board to run the sports complex in a fashion similar to Henderson Stadium. Henderson is owned by the county but is run by the school system.
The school board is expected to agree to the arrangement.
But other changes at the sports complex might not be as easy.
The complex has been renamed the Bibb County Sports Complex -- yet some paperwork with the development authority and County Commission still refers to Westside.
'It's going to take us a while to get over that, I'm afraid,' Moody said.
Last month, after two years of struggling through financial problems, the boosters handed control of the complex over to the county. Although the boosters had agreed to pay the $351,257 annual payments for the facility, they said they could no longer keep up. The county had backed the loan.
About $3.2 million in debt remains on the complex.
By Thomas W. Krause and Randall Savage
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(c) 2000, The Macon Telegraph, Ga. Distributed by Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News.
