I mentioned this in a blog on April 4, but it’s worth dredging up again. In regard to our water usage in Athens-Clarke County we’re damned if we do use more water and damned if we don’t.

Drought conditions in the past and especially in the last 10 months have compelled us to live under drought restrictions which on one level limit our outdoor watering and at another level outright banned outdoor watering. And of course we were encouraged to use less water in a variety of ways. Now, in the wake of the Great Drought of 2006, the county has designed and approved a tiered water billing system to encourage conservation by charging more to customers who exceed their baseline, based on winter average usage for December 2005 and January, February and March 2006.

Rather than prayers for rain this year, why not pray that in November the state General Assembly is washed clean of the Republican leadership as well as politicians on both sides of the aisle who seem to relish the idea of having the state call all the shots for local governments. The state's stumbling attempts to get our drought and water situation could only be classified as water torture.

The latest power play is packaged in the ridiculous bill that would require state Environmental Protection Division approval before local jurisdictions could enact stronger water restrictions than the state’s rules.

The Athens-Clarke Commission, did in fact, approve the Pynchonesque manager-approved tiered water plan, 7-3.

It turns out that’s OK to completely revamp some things (CDBG, Kathy Hoard's water plan) at the last minute, but not others (Carl Jordan's water plan). If consistency is the hobgoblin of small minds, we’re dealing with some real geniuses here.

I won’t give you the blow-by-blow – that’s what Channel 7 is for – but I will offer a few highlights.

Hoard kicked off the debate by stating that she is “not an economist or a pseudo-economist.” I assume that’s a slap at Carl Jordan, who has an economics degree, and Kelly Girtz, who is close to finishing up his master’s in doing what Carl tells him to.

Stop the presses: Carl Jordan just might win a floor fight.

Jordan, the intellectually formidable but politically challenged Athens-Clarke commissioner, will pitch his own tiered water pricing plan at the voting meeting Tuesday.

It’s usually safe to dismiss Jordan’s ideas because he rarely can bring any other commissioners except Kelly Girtz along with him. But Doug Lowry and David Lynn, who rarely align themselves with Jordan, both said they think the pricing scheme is headed for a work session.

I didn’t really want to print this story about Athens-Clarke County lifting part of its outdoor watering ban. I wanted to e-mail it y’all instead.

Mayor Heidi Davison said something interesting in passing during last Tuesday’s commission meeting. She said she wanted to lift the total ban ASAP, and said the Upper Oconee Basin Water Authority – which I hate for its ungodly acronym – should either call a meeting to ease up or vote by e-mail.

Vote by e-mail? From a woman who thinks her work-related e-mails are off limits to the public, that’s scary stuff.