City of Ocilla shuts off Irwin County Hospital’s water services for nonpayment, cites billing and administrative issues
OCILLA, Ga. – According to our news partners with the Tifton Grapevine Newsletter and local sources,
The situation between the City of Ocilla and Irwin County Hospital over more than $20,000 in unpaid water bills, which resulted in the city cutting off some water services to the hospital Monday, has apparently been resolved.
However, neither the hospital nor the city have released details of the resolution. On Thursday, James A. Nixon, interim CEO of Irwin County Hospital, released a lengthy written statement noting that “once the issue was identified, hospital leadership worked directly and promptly with the city to resolve the matter, and water service was restored. At no point were patient care, clinical operations, or emergency services impacted.”
Nixon and hospital leaders declined to comment further and did not respond to questions such as how long the hospital water bills had been unpaid and how long water service was suspended at the hospital. Some hospital employees said that water was restored by Tuesday.
In his statement, Nixon said the hospital “experienced a brief and limited interruption to a portion of its water service related to billing and administrative matters involving the City of Ocilla.
“The situation resulted from a combination of factors, including account balances that were in arrears, the proper application of bill credits across multiple accounts, informal or inconsistent communication regarding payment timing, and recent turnover in administrative staff and vendor-payment processes. In total, the matter involved approximately $20,000 in charges and roughly $1,000 in credits across five separate water accounts,” Nixon said.
Ocilla Mayor Melvin D. Harper II did not return phone calls or emails Thursday and could not be reached for comment. However, earlier in the week he released a statement to WALB-TV saying that “numerous attempts over the past years” to collect payment from the hospital were “unsuccessful.”
On Wednesday, Harper posted on social media: “Let me be as clear as water. The City of Ocilla does not take pleasure in disconnecting water services. However, as a fee-for-service operating government, we are required to enforce our policies fairly and consistently. As long as all customers, residential and business alike, remain current on their accounts, services will always remain intact. Keeping you connected is our responsibility; but paying on time is yours.”
Hospital CEO Nixon said the skilled nursing facility on the hospital campus experienced “no interruption of water service to the nursing home, and no residents were affected.”
Nixon, a Tifton native who once served as a vice president at Tift Regional Health System, added that “this situation highlights the real and ongoing challenges faced by rural hospitals across Georgia, particularly during periods of transition. Like many rural facilities, Irwin County Hospital has experienced leadership turnover, financial strain, and structural pressures tied to reimbursement models and regulatory complexity.”
In his statement, Nixon noted that he was engaged by the Irwin County Hospital Authority to serve as interim chief executive officer to help stabilize operations, strengthen financial and administrative controls, and position the hospital for long-term sustainability.
He said he is encouraged by the progress underway and remains optimistic about the Ocilla hospital’s future.
By FRANK SAYLES JR.
Tifton Grapevine
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