County Commission Discusses Ice Storm, Applauds Volunteers

The Wayne County Commission met in regular session on Tuesday, February 17, 2026. All commissioners were in attendance: Tom Mathis, Logan Shull, Patrick Butler, Alvin Creecy, Kathryn Staggs, Tyler McDonald, Colby McDonald, Sherrie Powers, Vickie Petty, Jeremy Heard, Stan Hanback, David Martin, Stephen Pevahouse, and Rickey Kelley. Also in attendance were County Executive Jim Mangubat, County Clerk Stan Horton, and County Attorney Andy Yarbrough.

Regular items of business were first, including approval of previous minutes, approval of notaries, and approval of line-item budget amendments.

A topic of great interest was first on the agenda under old business. A lawsuit filed by the late Mrs. Margaret Gallaher in 1988 that resulted in a judgment against the county was first brought to the attention of this commission last month.

At the January 30, 2026, meeting of the County Commission, County Attorney Yarbrough explained the lawsuit and judgment. He explained that in 1988, Mrs. Margaret Gallaher filed a lawsuit against the county on the grounds that the water at her home was contaminated due to dangerous pollutants disposed of by Mallory Capacitor Company at the old county landfill. Attorney Yarbrough explained that prior to the filing of the lawsuit, Mrs. Gallaher obtained water from a spring that was downstream from where Mallory disposed of dangerous pollutants. A judgment was filed in favor of Mrs. Gallaher, ordering the county to construct and maintain two clean and usable water supplies no later than July 1, 1988, for the Gallaher property. In the years since then, the county has attempted to find a solution to the problem by drilling for new well water sites. There have been three attempts by well drillers to find clean, uncontaminated water on the property, and none of the drilling sites have produced acceptable water. The late Mrs. Gallaher’s descendants have now come forward seeking a solution and asking that the county fulfill their responsibilities according to the judgment.

After the passing of Mrs. Gallaher, no one lived in her house or on the property for some time. Attorney Yarbrough said that in a recent meeting, Mrs. Gallaher’s children and grandchildren stated that they intend to build on the property and need a solution to the water problem immediately. The family presented a proposal to the county which contained two options. The first proposed option is for the county to pay the Gallaher family $3 million to essentially get out of the judgment and let the family handle the water problem. The second option is for the county to fulfill their obligation and somehow find a way to provide clean water for the family.

A few different options were discussed to fulfill the county’s obligation to provide unpolluted water to the Gallaher family, including drilling for clean water in other locations on the property; filtration systems for the water already there; and possibly running either Collinwood or Waynesboro city water to the property.

At the meeting last Tuesday, there was no further discussion of the Gallaher water situation. County Attorney Yarbrough said he had spoken with County Executive Mangubat and Commissioner Patrick Butler about the situation, and the three of them were putting together a “game plan” and would be meeting the following week to discuss a course of action.

Commissioner Powers asked for an update on the Voices of Savannah help program that is leasing office space from the county at the former medical building next to Wayne Medical Center. Program Coordinator, Ms. Debra Shaw, spoke at the last commission meeting about receiving two natural gas bills from the city. It was determined that there are two gas meters on the bottom floor of the building, but Voices of Savannah only rents part of the bottom floor. There has been discussion about poor insulation being part of the problem; however, Commissioner Powers reminded everyone that Ms. Shaw should not have to pay two gas bills, and she was promised a resolution.

Commissioner Powers then stated her appreciation for all who helped Wayne County during the January ice storm: the linemen who got power back on, volunteer fire department members and others who went door-to-door doing wellness checks on their neighbors, and the Highway Department employees who worked hard getting roads cleared. Commissioner Creecy thanked those who fed over 80 linemen lunch every day while they were working. Commissioner Mathis thanked the Wayne County Sheriff’s Department for all the wellness checks they did as well, and for helping clear roadways. He also said that State Senator Page Walley deserved thanks for getting linemen from Lawrence County to come to Wayne County to help us.

Department reports were next on the agenda. County Executive Mangubat read a letter from EMA Director Brian Smith, who was unable to attend the meeting. Smith said in his letter that he couldn’t begin to thank all who pitched in to help during the winter storm. He said we saw the true heart of Wayne County – neighbors coming together to help each other when we need it most.

Highway Superintendent Chuck Moser thanked everyone as well, and stated that all 802 Wayne County roads were affected by the storm. As of right now, FEMA has committed to paying 75% of the cleanup cost, and TEMA will pay 12.5%. Moser said it may fall on the county to pay the remaining 12.5%.

Director of Schools, Dr. Ricky Inman, thanked Highway Superintendent Moser and Sheriff Shane Fisher for all they did to get schools reopened in the county. He said the first day back was one of the best attendance days all year.

Sheriff Fisher humbly addressed the commission next, thanking all who helped during the storm. He said volunteers were the true heroes, and that things would have been unimaginably worse if not for the volunteers and the grace of God.

The sheriff went on to say that he felt both he and county leaders failed to execute any type of emergency operation plan effectively during the storm, mostly due to lack of communication. He challenged county leaders, including himself, to do better when something like Winter Storm Fern happens again.

IT Director Mike Floyd gave a brief report next, stating that he was adding folders to the off-site backup. He also said the decision was made to start using two-factor authentication for all county emails for added security.

Library Director Holli Haddock addressed the commission last. She said the library in Waynesboro is in need of refurbishing, especially the flooring and furniture. Ms. Haddock then expressed her appreciation to County Executive Mangubat and his staff, Cindy Risner and Lisa Casteel, for all the assistance they have given her since she got the Library Director position.

With no further business to come before the commission, the meeting was adjourned.