City flags Georgia Power streetlight cost growth, proposes $300,000 landscape contract and calls for pavement funding

Public Works presented several FY26 capital and operating pressures tied to utility rate changes, contract escalators and street-level maintenance needs. Marty (Public Works presenter) said Georgia Power streetlight costs were under-projected last year and staff recommends increasing the FY26 streetlight budget to $2.8 million to reflect rate increases and new accounts.

“Honestly, last year had we should have projected to somewhere around 2.2 to $2,400,000. So we missed a projection that we prop and it had to do with rate increases that we didn't catch at the time,” Marty said. He said approximately $40,000 of the recent increase reflected new lighting accounts; the remainder is rate increases. Staff proposed exploring alternatives such as shifting from Georgia Power-owned streetlights to a city-owned, operated and maintained system after a cost-benefit analysis.

Public Works also proposed a new landscape-bed maintenance contract for capital roadway project plantings and medians, budgeted at $300,000; the scope includes quarterly mulching, plant replacement and bed maintenance distinct from routine right-of-way mowing. Pavement management remains a high priority: staff reported anticipated state assistance (a local road assistance grant of roughly $1.3 million plus an anticipated LMIG grant of about $1 million) that would reduce the general fund contribution required to maintain a $7 million annual pavement program to about $4.7 million for FY26.

Councilmembers asked for a line-item reconciliation and further analysis of Georgia Power charges and any impacts from GDOT project transitions; staff said a deeper audit/reconciliation with Georgia Power was underway.