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On Wednesday, West Point City Manager Ed Moon addressed members of the West Point Lions Club about what West Point was like when he started working for the city as its new city manager some 20 years ago; to where it is now and where it will likely be in the future.

The contrast between then and now couldn’t be more stark.

In 2005, West Point needed a new city manager to succeed Joel Wood, a longtime city manager who was retiring. Moon was a candidate for that position.

The city manager from nearby Lanett played a part in getting him here.

“I knew Bobby Williams at the time,” Moon said. “He talked me into coming here for a visit and showed me around.”

At the time, West Point was experiencing a downturn. The textile industry, which had long been the dominant force in the local economy, began heading overseas for production causing downtown West Point to suffer.

Local unemployment was in the double-digit range.

Moon knew it would be a challenge to be the city manager of a town that looked to be in decline. He wasn’t afraid to take it on and is now very pleased he did.

Though no one knew it at the time, West Point was on the verge of a major turnaround in 2005.

Textile production was on the way out, but automobile manufacturing was on the way in.

In March 2006, it was announced that the Kia Motor Corporation would build its first automobile manufacturing and assembly center in West Point, Georgia. It meant thousands of new jobs in both the production plant and in its nearby supplier plants.

Having Kia Motors Manufacturing Georgia (KMMG) in your town brought eight lanes of traffic with Kia Parkway running parallel to I-85, new businesses and new housing.

In 2011, West Point got more good news with the announcement that Atlanta Christian College would be relocating its traditional campus from the Atlanta area to West Point. The former WestPoint Stevens corporate office would be transformed into the J. Smith Lanier II Academic Center. What had formerly been a place for international business would become a place of learning for 800 college students.

The combination of Kia and its suppliers and Point University played a major role in transforming downtown West Point into a much livelier place than in 2005.

Plans are in the works for further development at Exit 2 off I-85. A 600-acre site is ideal for commercial and industrial development on the east side of the Interstate. On the west side, the former Coca-Cola plant site could be the location of a new hotel and strip mall.

Moon said he’s confident an announcement on that will likely be made within the next 60 days.

“I’m glad I came to West Point,” Moon said. “West Point has been good to me and my family.”

Moon said he likes the operations side of city government and has had much experience in that in West Point.

In his presentation to the club, Moon shared a flow chart of how West Point is run daily. In terms of departments and divisions, West Point has Community Development, Economic Development, Fire and EMS, Police and Court Services, Public Works, Recreation and Utilities.

The city has a substantially larger annual budget than it did back in 2005. It’s now in the $30 million range.

While West Point has electrical and natural gas systems, it does not supply these services to Kia, which is located entirely in the city limits of West Point. Georgia Power provides the electricity and the City of LaGrange supplies the natural gas.

West Point’s Electrical Department accounts for a big portion of the annual city budget, bringing in around $11.5 million a year.

Moon said that West Point has a small footprint compared to other utility systems. “We have to fight for every customer we get,” he said.

West Point does turn a profit on its water and sewer services but has a 30-year debt. The city’s current water plant on the State Line Road was built at a cost of more than $5 million in 2003.

These systems have served the city well but Moon questions whether the relatively small systems, like West Point and East Alabama, will have long-term futures.

“We have lost gas customers over the years,” Moon said. “Some people quit using gas in favor of being all electric. I’ve always liked using gas.”

With West Point being in two counties, the county receives Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax (SPLOST) funding from both Troup and Harris counties. SPLOST has long been a funding source for recreation, road improvements and capital projects. For the first time, West Point is planning to use some SPLOST funding for operations.

Harris County helps by having inmate details coming to West Point to do cemetery upkeep.

Moon commended Meagan Richardson on the job she’s been doing in promoting downtown West Point. “She really has things moving there now,” Moon said.

He said it’s important to have the police department and court system as separate departments. “If they are together it could be seen as a rigged system by some people,” Moon said.

The West Point Police Department is all about the fours. There are four shifts with four sergeants, four corporals and four officers.

Moon describes West Point as a hybrid city government. The mayor is the chief executive officer. They head the city council and sign important documents but they cannot hire and fire people or control the city budget. “The mayor is highly influential in what gets done,” Moon said, “but he has just one vote. The council controls the direction the city goes in.”