This just in: Scientists studying the brains of the Ferriday Board of Aldermen have abruptly ended their research after finding the brains are gone, victims, perhaps, of years of bad water.

We’re joking, of course, but it’s difficult not to shake one’s head and laugh at just how insanely Ferriday’s leaders act sometimes. We just have to wonder if a series of aquatic lobotomies have occurred.

This week aldermen attempted to break a binding, legal contract with a water management company because they simply don’t like the company’s business practices.

How dare the water company expect residents to pay for water and not attempt to cheat the system?

The lack of paying for water services along with rampant mismanagement is what led the water plant to be spewing out bad water and lots of red ink. Most municipalities have water-supplying systems worked out pretty well.

It’s a relatively simple offering — provide citizens clean water in exchange for money.

For decades Ferriday provided sketchy — at best — water and since most of the water meters were broken, it didn’t really matter if you paid your water bill or not.

That had begun to change recently after the USDA provided money to Ferriday to build a new water plant with one simple stipulation — contract with an outside company to manage the plant and put things in order again.

That seemed to be going well, until Ferriday aldermen sought to show their political muscles Tuesday night.

Aldermen would be wise to stop squabbling and complaining and provide leadership to bring in more jobs to Ferriday. With more people working, the town should receive fewer complaints about having to pay the bills.