By Donna Hales
A man who gave Tullahassee $804 in cash to pay off a past-due water bill said he came from a very poor family and “I had it (money), and they didn’t.”
All the man would say about himself is that he is a retired Muskogee fireman.
“It was just such a shock,” said Tullahassee Treasurer Mae Gaines. “It made me think there are people out there who are willing to help us.”
Gaines said the donor was in his doctor’s office and heard a former Tullahassee teacher, Sunshine Kemble, and someone discussing a Phoenix story about the past-due water bill.
He called Gaines and she met him and his wife in Braggs to receive the money. Gaines said she met two “very wonderful” people by doing so, and the town got out of it’s bad situation.
“He didn’t want to take any credit or get any publicity — just wanted to help us,” said a teary Gaines.
When he gave her the $804 in cash, he said he didn’t need a receipt, but Gaines insisted and gave him one.
“I gave the money to the mayor and she paid it,” Gaines said.
Porter City Clerk Shirley Herring said Tuesday the bill has been paid in full.
The man talked with the Phoenix on condition his name not appear in the paper.
“I just thought about my own grandchildren having to get up and get ready for school and them having no water to wash their hands or faces,” the donor said.
His wife said: “He just couldn’t hardly see people going without water.”
Tullahassee buys water from Porter and then sells it to Tullahassee customers. It takes what it makes and pays the town’s utility and phone bills.
Tullahassee Mayor Emma Mae Walters said earlier she would not be able to pay other bills if she paid the $804 owed to Porter. The town paid $2,100 toward the water bill earlier in February.
Walters said last week the water bill is higher, in part, because of more leaks in the town’s water lines.
And Tullahassee can’t apply for a grant to fix those leaks because the town doesn’t have a required audit. Tullahassee can’t get a town audit because it can’t afford one, Walters said.
Porter Town Treasurer Joy Hendrix said earlier that Tullahassee’s monthly water bill is usually $2,200 to $2,300 and the bill went up $500 per month because of a Porter water rate increase.
Walters said Tuesday the town just couldn’t thank the donor enough.
“I just thought it was somebody that was thinking good of us — maybe the Lord was being good to us.”
Reach Donna Hales at 918-684-2923 or Click Here to Send Email
