[{"_1":2,"_110":-5,"_111":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,74,86,98],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":56,"_73":56},"mediaId",6053770,"mediaKeyId","3354750-f205c88ddbb0237c029c858792442d27","parentId",3354750,"title","Committee approves cooperative agreement to pilot mobile payment and collections tools for Watershed accounts","audioSeconds",157,"startMs",3822000,"endMs",3979000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=3354750-f205c88ddbb0237c029c858792442d27&start=3822&end=3979","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3354750-f205c88ddbb0237c029c858792442d27/thumbnail_3822000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6053770/Atlanta/Fulton-County/Georgia/Committee-approves-cooperative-agreement-to-pilot-mobile-payment-and-collections-tools-for-Watershed-accounts","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6053770-a6b8d97dfd8b47109d140e7de4a69531/orig.mp4?Expires=1775531668&Signature=oWHH0gKJw3CSRte9Wtrn1DQKUxFianjsdRwmrX9raSJSwYDETwFVB5X4sAxl3x2SUXny02rQ8b5LQ3hbu0ElVmRKznxFvhxyy~RgdYYC2CRbb7XgEvS5Smy3bW1oXwIQDmfFGMnV-SiDoQ0fs3ERd1zr~0AcA5kFPOVfCjko70dDfitotONhCUxu3T8OVWdoPOJ-oe7Z2es7mz47KA6QQrFt9ChSPrzK3P9YakidQRPWHqwIEnQvBnkgPDVfcJJpoCA3hlo6nYkOwfpWyFUEUgAfgM~PLAXG93Wwqpgnb1Hghc8UKSxs97kFHQPmEcmpbRjn6ebJRdTHceKgDMsCeA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","","date","2025-05-13T15:22:39Z","article","The City Utilities Committee approved a resolution authorizing the mayor to execute a cooperative agreement with Carahsoft Technology Corporation, using a Georgia Department of Administrative Services cooperative contract, to deploy a customer payment/engagement tool for the Department of Watershed Management.

Deputy Commissioner Jonathan Williams told the committee the platform (described in the presentation as a “promise pay”‑style service) lets account holders view bills on a mobile device, set up payment plans and ask questions online. Williams said Watershed is pursuing “every possible engagement” to address collections, noting “with over 30,000 accounts that are in arrears, we need to exercise every possible engagement we can.” He described the proposed arrangement as a revenue-share formula—rather than a flat fee—where the vendor receives a percentage of amounts collected.

Council members questioned contract length and cost structure. One council member observed a fee of 8% in the legislation; Williams explained the contract uses a percentage of collected funds rather than a fixed up-front payment and said the cooperative agreement’s term matches the underlying state contract (through September of next year), which constrained the committee action to that end date. Williams said the city intends to continue the approach after the cooperative contract’s term if it proves effective.

The committee approved the resolution 5-0 on substitute. Council members requested additional detail in future Watershed presentations to separate in‑house collections results from amounts recovered under third‑party vendors so the committee can evaluate the net value of outsourcing versus in‑house recovery.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","#Atlanta City Council City Utilities Committee meeting May 13, 2025 #atlpol","oneSentenceSummary","The committee approved use of a cooperative purchase with Carahsoft for a mobile bill-viewing and payment tool to help Watershed Management recover overdue accounts.","taxTitle","Atlanta, Fulton County, Georgia","taxId",2959,"location","headline","shortSummary",{"_33":75,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":76,"_41":77,"_43":78,"_45":79,"_47":80,"_49":81,"_51":82,"_53":83,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":84,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":85,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":56,"_73":56},6053775,"Interim DPW commissioner presents FY25 Q3 report; council presses for staffing and budget detail",607,656000,1263000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3354750-f205c88ddbb0237c029c858792442d27&start=656&end=1263","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3354750-f205c88ddbb0237c029c858792442d27/thumbnail_656000.jpg","/articles/6053775/Atlanta/Fulton-County/Georgia/Interim-DPW-commissioner-presents-FY25-Q3-report-council-presses-for-staffing-and-budget-detail","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6053775-4f50fff652ab086a62aa578784e11bee/orig.mp4?Expires=1775531668&Signature=kZdGJVvYgdr~ybO~5yLGwhGJXFQk2qYNdFjVch3o99rAr8i7JPDPp6P3q2DWbOPelq-tyC2MHh2gu6eFJWq2iAPdNS7k5UBaBZ~gVB8GbG6C0gD25uIjen3EfCcnMZkbtis-quppUtvvO3Tnafb0lBK7GSgR8jca4~o~ZmSlJa4yuVfwCsyAy3a9CLwIff0SY-~B6YJvcRJeG~zNtZxHcdlmDUcqv8XvjQNgJTdKes30nPRsY3g4l-mp9rm9YMKQuGCqYvq6Wl087LBLJQKD-MCd~wFEnZFinmoGqQpk3HI~vx15NqkCe3aCslqz635GelV18W6ugBOJsJM9ax-z3A__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Keturah Garmon, interim commissioner for the Department of Public Works, presented the department’s FY2025 third-quarter (January–March) report to the City Utilities Committee, and council members pressed for additional staffing and budget detail.

Garmon told the committee curbside garbage crews recorded about 1,300,000 stops during the quarter; roughly 5% of stops had issues reported, with “not out” (residents not setting carts for collection) the most common exception and about 66,000 instances cited. DPW reported a 99.5% success rate for curbside garbage collection. Recycling crews handled about 1.2 million stops; yard-trimming stops were about 1.4 million with roughly 22% of those stops reporting issues. Special operations completed 88% of multifamily collections (2,600 completions out of 3,000 cases) and noted blocked access and locked gates as common impediments.

On fleet, DPW reported 4,600 in-house repairs and 595 outsourced commercial repairs (5,220 total) and received 247 vehicles and pieces of equipment totaling nearly $9,000,000. Fleet in‑house labor logged over 29,000 wrench-time hours; Atlanta Police Department vehicles accounted for 27% of those hours and DPW vehicles 25%.

Staffing and budget details drew specific council scrutiny. Garmon said DPW has 758 positions total, with 638 filled and 120 vacant; she described a more detailed breakdown given to the committee showing 181 approved essential positions that are not funded and 475 field positions that are allocated and funded. Council members asked for the written breakdown because the slide totals did not reconcile easily during the hearing. On finance, Garmon said DPW’s budget is $102,000,000 and projections show $87,000,000 spent to date (about 85% of budget). She and council members discussed fleet services’ near‑full-year spending (reported at 99% of its allocation) and a department estimate that fleet could run a $9–10 million overage tied to increased maintenance work, pay-study adjustments and better capture of mechanics’ labor through an upgraded system.

Council members and staff also highlighted community-facing initiatives and volunteer activity: Keep Atlanta Beautiful organized 55 community cleanups mobilizing 700 volunteers who contributed over 1,400 hours and collected 23 tons of trash; DPW reported 1,325 miles of right-of-way maintained and 1,300+ tons of litter collected by street sweepers during the quarter.

Council members requested that DPW provide a reconciled personnel paper and the more granular vacancy/funding breakdown ahead of upcoming budget deliberations; Chief Operating Officer Chandra Burke said a revised personnel paper would be provided to the council a few days before the next meeting.","Interim Commissioner Keturah Garmon presented Department of Public Works Q3 results, highlighting high curbside completion rates, increased yard-trimming stops, fleet repairs and vehicle purchases, and staffing and budget questions from council members about vacancy funding and fleet overage risk.",{"_33":87,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":88,"_41":89,"_43":90,"_45":91,"_47":92,"_49":93,"_51":94,"_53":95,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":96,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":97,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":56,"_73":56},6053780,"Committee approves multiple Watershed contracts and budget transfers totaling tens of millions",1342,2943000,4285000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3354750-f205c88ddbb0237c029c858792442d27&start=2943&end=4285","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3354750-f205c88ddbb0237c029c858792442d27/thumbnail_2943000.jpg","/articles/6053780/Atlanta/Fulton-County/Georgia/Committee-approves-multiple-Watershed-contracts-and-budget-transfers-totaling-tens-of-millions","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6053780-36a68c21d0f4c44cc4832d6f7eb0142e/orig.mp4?Expires=1775531668&Signature=imhI0O~2TVsO9yRyoAv1WuRWVwejisRor0Yd6wbLGmS219xgto8WpOplqhoCN8OZDfYFJlCUempxBlOlgXvx1f9azgpJuCUXJh95~kxHcLMYXczLW6RXqxj2Uf0MH3wfe0LZezBeosy3tUj5i9x1ANmHF6IfOCV8PQrhGyb28ghJUEywz71LJyUk7YhKtyW3Tdl1uFNquHVjso5wk0E8CUDrsVYtvk38JGe5kvOcdwyH2rdNBy2UCtviie~~KX06BsXLttJigX~kO~Oi2e2KSOfNIDRKDGWr~N0zu5B7bCXLR~B6jgSw1DpwDRxdcUyXNHTrTJXDW7MiIDNZjaeMjg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The City Utilities Committee approved a package of consent and regular-agenda items that authorize multiple Watershed Management contracts and FY2025 budget adjustments.

Key actions approved by the committee included: a consent order payment of $156,833.25 to the Environmental Protection Division, Georgia Department of Natural Resources, to resolve compliance violations; authorization of an on-call diving services contract with Salmons Dredging Corporation retroactive for one year with an amount not to exceed $2,000,000; amendments to the FY2025 water and wastewater commercial paper and renewal-and-extension funds to transfer $21,573,164.06 and $11,655,140.99, respectively, for the Small Diameter Rehab Sugar Creek outfall project; a companion resolution that adds funding to sewer Group 4 small-diameter rehabilitation contract A with Ruby Collins Incorporated in an amount not to exceed $33,228,305.05; and approval of a water supply tunnel connection contract with Ruby Collins SC Concertorium joint venture not to exceed $13,788,184.00.

Several of those items were amended on the floor to correct milestone dates and to incorporate cooperative-agreement details; each measure passed the committee unanimously, with recorded votes of 5 yays, 0 nays. The items cited the Atlanta City Code (Part 2, Chapter 2, Article 10, Division 4) where procurement rules were waived or special procurement actions were authorized.

Other approved items in the packet included emergency procurement extensions and funding adjustments for small-meter installation and yard‑debris processing and hauling programs; a substitute increased one meter‑installation emergency amount to $499,800 and another emergency amendment authorized up to $2,700,000 for additional small‑meter work. The committee also authorized transfers totaling $8,000,000 to a green infrastructure project (Valley of Hawkes) and accepted a $10,000 donation to support the city’s recycling education initiative.

The approvals expand Watershed’s contracting authority and add multiple capital and operational dollars to ongoing projects; council members did not attach additional conditions in the committee beyond the amendments recorded in the meeting.","The City Utilities Committee approved consent items authorizing a state consent order payment, emergency and on-call contracts, and several FY2025 budget transfers and contract amendments for Watershed Management projects, including a multi‑million dollar small-diameter rehabilitation amendment to Ruby Collins Incorporated.",{"_33":99,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":100,"_41":101,"_43":102,"_45":103,"_47":104,"_49":105,"_51":106,"_53":107,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":108,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":109,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":56,"_73":56},6053785,"Council committee approves James Gregory Hourly as Watershed commissioner",116,398000,514000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3354750-f205c88ddbb0237c029c858792442d27&start=398&end=514","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3354750-f205c88ddbb0237c029c858792442d27/thumbnail_398000.jpg","/articles/6053785/Atlanta/Fulton-County/Georgia/Council-committee-approves-James-Gregory-Hourly-as-Watershed-commissioner","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6053785-faa0d1fd17f473f1165ba2bd78ca325a/orig.mp4?Expires=1775531668&Signature=H1pZ3z94zOc~VdTXdZm9IOSe7sKDpgRtWX175cFg91qPON8jBCXpAvopv3kijcn~zWixJrvOdtviqlEe3ZhUImmN9-KXvmH4grXOwomvfp3RkAG5NUsWbRWrFGeN4dr304wSqmj3E~CshI3e5HDFt5IhZ7r7YyOLXqz3SJhGSlkvEpquyhDy5DUhOgfEAhOmpqZOnvfBGBgGgUqcA6awn9L-XBnF-8F~gRE0d4JjvSUbOcRGdrid6ZSTTiJNDKv8SxH~1fvj~nNWMvFE32YR9hu3UTOPK5HrttrF4Ibvt~JklDZtNj1hCfk88zY8PTlWQgp5dT1OT7AsLsdDpQwTIw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The City Utilities Committee voted 5-0 to favorably recommend Mayor Dickens’ appointment of James Gregory Hourly as commissioner of the Department of Watershed Management. The committee’s vote followed the mayor’s representative’s introduction and brief remarks by Hourly, who started with the city on April 1.

Hourly told the committee the department’s mission is to “protect public health and safety and the environment” through three primary functions: supplying safe, uninterrupted drinking water to the region’s population, treating wastewater to meet state and federal standards for discharge to receiving streams (including the Chattahoochee River), and mitigating flood impacts. The mayor’s representative described Hourly as “a respected public servant” who most recently served as director of Houston Water, “the largest city-managed water and wastewater utility in the United States.”

Committee members moved and seconded the recommendation and closed the vote 5 yays, 0 nays. Council members who participated in the vote included Antonio Lewis (chair), Howard Schuch and Andrea L. Boone; the clerk opened and closed the roll call votes.

The appointment places an executive with long utility experience in charge of the city’s watershed operations. Hourly said he began his career as a frontline utility operator and has been engaged with staff since April 1, including on field repairs and operations. He briefed the committee on the department mission and said ongoing work will support the mayor’s infrastructure priorities.

The approval sends the nomination forward as the committee’s favorable recommendation; the committee did not take other formal actions tied to Hourly’s transition during this session.","The City Utilities Committee approved Mayor Dickens' recommendation to appoint James Gregory Hourly as commissioner of the Department of Watershed Management. Hourly starts April 1 and outlined three primary department missions: drinking water supply, wastewater treatment and watershed protection.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Committee approves cooperative agreement to pilot mobile payment and collections tools for Watershed accounts

Interim DPW commissioner presents FY25 Q3 report; council presses for staffing and budget detail

Committee approves multiple Watershed contracts and budget transfers totaling tens of millions

Council committee approves James Gregory Hourly as Watershed commissioner