BRASELTON — The Joint Municipal Association had no city issues to discuss Monday night, hearing instead from Hall County Board of Commissioners candidates.

In the meeting at Chateau Elan resort, the two Republicans running for the District 4 seat — incumbent Ashley Bell and challenger Jeff Stowe — spoke on a variety of issues, including why they decided to seek the office.

Bell said he believes the next four years “are going to be critical” as city and county leaders work to resolve water and “service delivery” issues.

“For the next four years, I want to see a stronger relationship between the city and the county,” he said.

Stowe said he got interested after seeing “some of the upheaval” of top county staff in January 2011 and “money I felt, as a taxpayer, was being wasted.

“I wanted to make sure I had a voice and was being represented at those meetings,” he said.

The candidates also spoke on Glades Reservoir and its potential future.

Bell and Stowe both agreed the county should continue to pursue a permit from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

“Whether it’s something that will be built in the next 10-20 years, we’ll find out more from the court rulings and those things,” Stowe said.

“But I think the important thing is we’ve got to get on the same page with the city of Gainesville. They’re the water purveyor.”

Bell said: “We must make sure we have water for our community, but I have always been very critical of the way Glades has been funded.

“We have spent way too much on consultants. ... Are we wasting money on Glades? We could do this cheaper; there’s no doubt about it.”

The JMA also heard from Richard “Dick” Mecum, who is running against Tom Oliver and Steve Gailey for commission chairman, and Eugene Moon, who is running for Billy Powell’s District 2 seat. Oliver, Gailey and Powell weren’t at the meeting.