Austell Paid $30K in 2010 to Company Owing $19.5K in Taxes

Carlos Jones Construction Company, was awarded nine demolition contracts totaling  $65,475 and was paid $30,350 by the city in 2010 for two projects the company completed.

The nine contracts are for demolition of some flood-damaged homes the city purchased as part of home buy-back program.

Despite being paid the more than $30,000 –$27,350 in Nov. 2010 for a Sweetwater Creek cleanup project and $3,000 for demolition of a home on Rockhill Street– the company failed to pay any of the taxes it has owed the city since 2007. 

Jones did allow the use of his equipment at no charge and performed small duties at no charge, stated Duane Demeritt, operations manager for the Public Works Department, in an email.

During a special called meeting held on Aug. 3, all city council members except City Councilwoman Trudie Causey and City Councilman Martin Standard, voted to award the nine contracts to the company, (The company was awarded contracts to demolish only nine of the 19 homes, with the other contracts being awarded to Atlanta-based Southern Demolition, LLC, which bid $139,670 for 13 homes.) The next lowest bid for all 19 homes was $134,945 from Hoyt Samples Hauling company.

, Austell mayor Joe Jerkins told South Cobb Patch,

“He’s going to pay our taxes, so if we hadn’t have given him the job, he wouldn’t have been able to pay his taxes. So, the two council members who voted against him were working against the city the whole time. They didn’t want him to pay the taxes for some reason. So, the four council members did the right thing by voting to give him the job because he’s qualified, he’s lowest bidder and we’ll get our taxes. So I don’t know what their problem was.”

In separate phone interviews, both Causey and Standard told South Cobb Patch that no mention was made at the Aug. 3 meeting of the city paying Jones the amount of the contracts less the taxes owed.

“Most of the citizens couldn’t get by without paying the city taxes,” Causey said. “Why hasn’t he attempted to pay the city back with other money for other contracts (awarded by the city)?”

Causey told Patch that she said in the special called meeting, “I don’t mind Carlos Jones doing the work as long as he pays his taxes.”

Standard said, “No, I didn’t vote against the city. That’s far-fetched."

Tired of "beating a dead horse," he said, "It’s a done deal. It is what it is right now.”

However, he did tell South Cobb Patch why he voted as he had during the Aug. 3 meeting.  “I just think it’s (awarding contracts to companies owing city taxes) kind of rewarding people for bad behavior. I wasn’t raised that way. I think the taxpayers’ money could be better handled.”

A representative from Carlos Jones returned Patch's call, but Jones himself had not done so as of press time. However, Patch will update the story as soon as possible with a response from Jones or an official company representative.

Correction: The article originally stated that Southern Demolition, LLC, had bid $139,670 to demolish all 19 homes. However, that bid was to demolish 13 of the 19 homes.