TIFTON — City Mayor Julie Smith delivered a blistering statement responding to pushback from the Tift County Board of Commissioners about the water and sewer equalization rate at the June 19 meeting.

“I will be damned, pardon my French, if I’m going to be bullied for one more second,” said Smith.

The statement was preceded by council member Jack Folk moving to table discussion about equalization “in light of current actions and comments by county officials.”

Reading from prepared remarks, Smith said she wanted to address the community and council before the vote to table was taken.

According to the statement, roughly a year and a half ago, the county began scrutinizing the Tifton-Tift County Fire Department, alleging they were not getting what they paid for.

The city was also told the county was unable to work with certain members of city staff. After the city made personnel changes and tried to improve the fire operations, the county “made a decision to spend over $4.2 million of taxpayer money to create a new fire department and abandoned the joint agreement,” said Smith.

“Today, even after all these changes, there has been no change in the County’s willingness to work together for the common good of both city and county residents. In fact, I believe the lack of communication is as bad as I’ve ever seen it. This tells me that the problem is, and always has been, with the current county administrator, Mr. Jim Carter,” Smith said.

When reached by The Tifton Gazette Tuesday afternoon, Carter had no comment.

According to Smith, the decision to terminate the joint water and sewer agreement was made in March of this year, and though this decision was communicated to both Carter and County Chairman Grady Thompson along with the council’s insistence that it remains “committed to continue servicing county residents and will continue to work with the County in considering further expansions and improvements to the water and wastewater system,” no reply was forthcoming until recently.

Smith said the city’s efforts to equalize rates “have been met with disparaging editorials in the paper by commissioner Robert Setters and threats by Grady Thompson, the County Commission Chairman, to sue the City of Tifton. As a matter of fact, the words were “you all deserve jail time.”

“I may have jokingly said that, but I didn’t mean anything by it,” said Thompson when reached by phone Tuesday by The Tifton Gazette. “I don’t have any further comment on it.”

Smith further stated Thompson informed her that the county would not be calling for a referendum and a vote on SPLOST VI this November.

“This could be considered a form of coercion, or maybe it’s just dirty politics,” said Smith. “Either way, if this happens, if SPLOST is not put on the ballot for you, the citizens of Tifton to vote on, it will not only affect the residents of the City of Tifton, but Omega, Ty Ty and the great irony is eventually the County itself.

At the end of her remarks, Smith said she had a message to the county: “Bring it on if you think you can sue us and carry us down that path. If you think that is what’s best for this community, then we’ll see you in court because we have nothing on our side but a good honest, open, ethical and legal representation.

“The City of Tifton has been bullied too long and I will not stand for it any longer,” said Smith. “I will not tolerate letters to the editor with innuendo and half truths. I will not tolerate threats of lawsuits and I will not have this council be accused of unethical and illegal activity when I know for a fact that is not true.”