A Rogers Street resident told Mayor Joe Cox and the City’s Aldermen he was not happy with the decision to purchase the former Hartman-Harrigill Funeral Home for the new City Hall location. His issue was not with the relocation, but with the amount spent.

“I didn’t come down here to start nothing; I came down here to try to end something,” Roy L. Smith said.

After saying he would be like the Apostle Paul and “keep it real,” Smith loosely quoted Martin Luther King Jr.’s admonition to speak up when necessary, then quoted his own grandfather.

“My grandfather, Owen Smith, told me that, ‘If it look like a duck, and walk like a duck, and it quack like a duck, it’s a duck. Quack-quack.”

“Now, I don’t know whose bright idea it was for us to use three-and-a-fourth million dollars of tax-payers’ money to purchase a funeral home that’s older than me, and Don (Underwood, alderman-at-large), and my mother, who’s 90 years old,” said Smith. “But I can tell you right now that I can think of a million things that we could have spent three-and-a-fourth million dollars for. But I’m only going to name a few.”

Smith said part of the money could have been spent for an over- or underpass downtown at the railroad tracks in case of emergencies while a train is moving through the city. Smith has made repeated appearances before the Board, requesting this project.

“We’ve been requesting that for 25 years,” Smith said. “Quack-quack.”

A community education resource center has also been a repeated suggestion from the retired veteran.

“We’ve been requesting that for over 25 years,” Smith said. “Quack-quack.”

Smith also suggested unspecified improvements to the railroad crossing on Cherokee Street.

“It’s been like that for the last two years. We could have used some of the money for that. Quack-quack.”

“Our present water system, we could have used some of the money to improve that. Quack-quack. The property across the street over here that burned, we could have done got that cleaned up … that’s an eyesore for Brookhaven. Quack-quack.” Smith named several streets he said needed improvements, and that there were over a million dollars in vacancies in the industrial park, saying the City could have used some of the money to attract new occupants.

“But yet, we’re down here focusing on spending three-and-a-quarter million dollars of taxpayer money on a funeral home that’s older than Don, myself, and my mother, who’s 90 years old. Quack-quack.”

Smith then called out two aldermen — Ward 3’s Rev. Charles Caston Sr. and Ward 2’s Shannon Moore — by name, accusing Caston of lying (repeating the “quack-quack”), Moore of avoiding him, and Cox of …

Caston and Moore, both present by phone, responded that Smith was out of line and incorrect with his accusations.

“Let’s stay away from the personal attacks,” Cox said.

“All I want to know is what was the rush? What was the rush to, to, to finalize this deal? We wasn’t being evicted. The Board of Supervisors was baffled by the fact that you guys were even thinking about moving out of this building. Quack-quack,” said Smith. “All the things this money could have been spent on, we’re spending it on a funeral home that’s over 90 years old.”

The five-minute alarm for comments rang, and Cox told Smith his time was done. Smith said he wanted to say one more thing, directly to the mayor, and Cox allowed it. Smith then accused Cox of changing the requirements to speak before the Board, specifically to keep him and others like him from speaking “truth and power” at meetings. He called it an “illegitimate power grab” by the mayor.

Attorney Bobby Moak spoke up, saying the requirements were not changed, but more information was being requested about who a person is (a resident or non-resident) and what the topic is they wish to speak on, and that these changes had nothing to do with Smith, directly or indirectly.

“You have always been very respectful,” Cox said to Smith, thanking him for his service to the U.S. Navy, and said he respected Smith for his consistency in passionately pursuing the same projects over a long period of time.

“All I’m saying is the fox has been in charge of the hen house too long,” Smith answered. “And it’s time now that the chickens come home to roost.”

“Alright, moving on,” Cox said, turning back to the agenda.

“Quack-quack,” Smith said again as he left the podium.

“Quack-quack,” Cox replied, then called for the next person on the agenda.

Of the $3.425 million purchase price for the historic property, $2.745 million will come from Lincoln County’s buy-out of the City’s 20% stake in the Lincoln County/Brookhaven Government Complex on South First Street, where both the City and County offices and courtrooms are presently located.

 

In other business, the Board:

• Acknowledged the death of former Board member Dorsey Cameron.
• Awarded the Off-Road Diesel bid to R.B. Wall Oil at $2.58.
• Approved pay request No. 2 to Greenbriar Digging Service in the amount of $49,000 for work on the Oak Hill Estates Fire Loop/Water Project, to be paid from Infrastructure Funds.
• Approved an amendment to WGK Gen. Professional Services Agreement for 2025.
• Approved a 10-year salary increase of $1/hour ($20.25 to $21.25) for Kayla Watts, Water Department Manager.
• Approved to hire Kenneth Dixon and Travis Thompson as Street Department Laborers at $10.55/hr., pending drug tests and physicals.