Moss Point aldermen vote to negotiate with current public works provider

MOSS POINT, Miss. (WLOX) - The Moss Point Board of Aldermen voted to go into negotiations with Clear Water Solutions to be the city’s public works provider.

Although Clear Water is the city’s current public works provider, its proposal was $457,000 more than the proposal from H20 Solutions.

City law states that the board should generally take the lower proposal, but a higher proposal can be chosen if other factors, like quality of service or added jobs, are being considered.

As of now, no justification has been given for the board’s decision.

Aldermen David Chapman, Darius Wilson, and Wayne Lennep voted in favor of H20, and Aldermen Sherwood Bradford, Timothy DuBose, Victor Bovastro, and Willie Chestang voted in favor of Clear Water Solutions.

One city official said if the negotiations fail, local leaders could revert to negotiating with H20 Solutions or start the process over.

Timeline

A recommendation committee was assembled to study two proposed contracts for the city’s public works provider. On the committee were two local professionals as well as Aldermen Wilson, Chapman, and Lennep.

The committee recommended that the city accept the offer made by H2O Innovation.

The board voted against the recommendation and in favor of Clear Water Solutions, but the decision was vetoed by Mayor Billy Knight.

After Knight vetoed the board’s original decision, he submitted a resolution backing the recommendation committee’s choice, H2O Innovation.

The vote to pass the mayor’s resolution failed, falling one vote shy. However, a resolution was then offered by Alderman DuBose to accept the proposal of the current provider, Clear Water Solution. The board voted 4-3 to enter into contract negotiations with Clear Water.

The board has been split the same way on every vote. With Aldermen Chapman, Wilson, and Lennep in favor of H20 Solutions and Aldermen Bradford, DuBose, Bovastro, and Chestang in favor of Clear Water.

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