A LaGrange apartment complex owner claims that Kia Motors is directing out-of-state hires to a Valley, Ala., apartment complex where Randy Jackson, Kia’s human resources director, lives for a reduced rate.

Man Cha, owner of Sun Ridge Apartments on Hogansville Road, told LaGrange City Council that about a year and a half ago, Kia agreed to pay his business, and a separate complex, Crest Club Apartments in Valley, three months rent for all new transferees. He said he has receipts for numerous payments made by the automobile manufacturer for several new hires. The only option for housing at that time for transferees were Sun Ridge and Crest Club apartments, Cha said.

“The price was $1,500 a corporate unit at Sun Ridge and Crest Club apartments, including fees for furniture and utilities,” Cha said at Tuesday’s council work session. “Kia paid new hire living fees for several months to us before deciding in the early fall, without prior notice to us, to instruct its transferees as of March 12 to live only in temporary housing at Verandas Apartments in Valley at a rate of $1,350 a month per unit. We offered a rate of $1,250 per unit only to be told it was too late. Mr. Jackson also lived at Sun Ridge for some time early last year and is now living at Verandas Apartments. We were told by Kia’s new relocation company that Randy Jackson was instructing all of his new out-of-state hires to move to Verandas.”

Management of Verandas Apartments declined to comment on the matter. So did Jackson.

Kia’s media specialist, Patrick Sands, disputed Cha’s statements and said Kia can only offer rate plans of various apartments to its new hires.

“We do not get involved in how any of these groups manage their properties, nor any other group in other areas,” Sands said. “We do have favorable rates offered by apartments in different areas. Areas to choose from include LaGrange, Newnan, West Point, Pine Mountain, Valley, Lanett, Auburn and Opelika. But we can only make suggestions. No one at Kia, and certainly not Mr. Jackson, is telling new employees where they have to live.”

Cha and Sherry New, the vice president of Woodruff Property Management Company in Columbus, said Kia hired Weichert Relocation Resources in Norwell, Mass., last fall to be in charge of its transferees’ housing options. New was hired to manage Sun Ridge Apartments, and her company also manages Crest Club and Verandas Apartments.

The relocation company, also known as WRII, sent an e-mail on April 3 to New, stating that as of March 12, Kia would assign all new transferees to Verandas Apartments in Valley.

“We only do whatever Kia asks us to do,” said Kevin Kearns, a WRII spokesman said when contacted about Kia. “As for now, we can’t offer any additional comments.”

Cha, with New by his side at Tuesday’s council meeting, handed copies of the e-mail to Mayor Jeff Lukken and council members.

“Everyone deserves an equal opportunity in this,” Cha said. “I’m not just doing this for our business, but more so for everyone in Troup County. What I and every other taxpayer in this county should demand to know is why does Kia only want its new hires to be placed in Alabama? This county has paid a lot of money for Kia to be here. And if they are already doing stuff like this, imagine what they could attempt to do in the future. This could be only a small fraction of a problem.”

Cha also distributed copies of an e-mail sent to New from Kia human resources manager Bob Tyler in response to Cha’s offer of $1,250 for a corporate unit.

“We appreciate the reconsideration of your corporate apartment living rates for KMMG (Kia Motors Manufacturing Georgia),” Tyler wrote in the e-mail. “They are certainly more competitive than previously, although they do not exceed what we were offered by the Greater Valley Development Group as it relates to Verandas Apartment living. … The Greater Valley Group came to us directly with a great offer in order to secure and retain the business with KMMG. We certainly acknowledge the partnership and support we have received from Sun Ridge since 2007, but chose not to get into a competitive bidding situation which would have been created by contacting you prior to our recent decision.”

When contacted by a reported, Tyler acknowledged sending the e-mail but declined to comment.

Lukken briefly commented on the situation Tuesday.

“We would like to first hear the other side of the story before we assume anything,” Lukken said. “But we certainly want Kia to support Troup County as much as possible as we have put a lot in them coming here. So we hope that they will continue to give everyone an equal opportunity in this.”

At the council meeting, Cha also handed out copies of a document which he said is a resident ledger for Jackson from ‘The Vistas at Venue,” which includes the Verandas apartments. The document lists Jackson’s name and shows monthly rental charges of $750 dating back to July. Beginning in November, the copy lists “concessions” of $650 per month and payments of $100.

“I have great reason to believe this is Randy Jackson of Kia Motors,” Cha said. “But because of privacy and protection issues, I won’t say who helped me obtain this document.”

When asked about the possibility of Kia directing workers to Valley, Bert Brantley, a spokesman for Gov. Sonny Perdue, said it’s common for corporations near state borders to have employees living on both sides.

“We don’t know if those allegations are true about Kia directing employees to Valley,” Brantley said. “But when the plant was first located in West Point, we knew there would be Kia employees living on each side of the state line. Regardless of which state they live in, they will still be paying income tax to Georgia. As for the allegations made against Randy, he has worked very closely with us and has been very cooperative. It has been a very positive relationship.”

LaGrange City Council listened to Cha’s allegations, but took no action.

Kenneth Thompson can be reached at kethompson@lagrangenews.com or at (706) 884-7311, Ext. 228.