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Commission adopts new streetlight ordinance; votes to delay annual-increase policy until utility audit
Summary
The commission adopted an ordinance to revise streetlight billing to stabilize the streetlight fund, approving new base fees and a structure designed to eliminate an immediate deficit. Commissioners then voted to delay a decision on a built-in annual percentage fee increase until after a Georgia Power audit is complete.
Augusta commissioners approved a new streetlight ordinance and related fee structure designed to reduce a growing deficit in the streetlight fund, then opted to postpone setting an automatic annual increase until the city receives a Georgia Power audit.
Interim finance director Tim Schreier summarized the staff recommendation and the two options under consideration. Schreier said the administration’s proposal would raise the residential fee and add a base parcel fee to create a sustainable fund balance. “The suggestion last week was to change the rates to $95 for residential … The base fee would be $45,” he said, adding that a higher-option structure would eliminate the fund deficit in two years.
Commission debate focused on the size of the one-time increase and whether to adopt a programmed annual escalation (staff proposed 1.5 percent or 3.5 percent). Commissioners pressed staff on the fund’s current deficit, the projected effect of Georgia Power’s pending audit of the city’s owned streetlight system, and the tradeoffs for residents. Schreier said doing nothing would leave the fund approximately $3 million in deficit over the coming two years.
On the ordinance itself — including waiving the second reading — the commission voted to adopt option 2 (the staff’s revised fee structure and related resolution) by recorded vote; clerk minutes recorded the motion carrying 8–2. Later, when commissioners were asked to set a recurring annual increase (1.5 percent versus 3.5 percent), a substitute motion to delay that decision until after the Georgia Power audit passed 6–3, with several commissioners voting no and one commissioner recorded as absent.
Why it matters: Schreier told commissioners the streetlight fund is operating at a deficit that will deepen if rates are left unchanged and if Georgia Power’s pending audit raises track/energy costs. The ordinance vote enacts an immediate rate and structural change intended to stabilize operations; the delay on an annual escalation gives staff the opportunity to incorporate the audit results before committing to a multi-year fee escalation policy.
What commissioners and staff said: Commissioner Don Clark urged the commission to adopt a plan that “gets us out of the hole in two years,” while Commissioner Stacy Pulliam asked for a side-by-side comparison of the city keeping the system in-house versus selling it to the utility. Commissioner Wayne Guilfoyle urged a small annual increase to avoid another large step later.
Next steps: Staff will implement the newly adopted ordinance and return with Georgia Power audit results and a recommended annual escalation approach for the commission to consider after the audit is complete.
