Paulding County discusses 30-year water contract with Dallas, parcel transfer for Helping Hands

Paulding County commissioners heard staff describe a proposed 30-year wholesale water contract with the City of Dallas that would let Dallas buy treated water from the county at $4.73 per 1,000 gallons with a monthly cap of 22,500,000 gallons.

County staff told commissioners the contract would require Dallas to return retail water customers located outside Dallas’s retail service area back to the county. That provision was removed from a separate intergovernmental agreement (IGA) to transfer the Helping Hands parcel to the City of Dallas and was inserted into the proposed water contract, staff said.

The contract term presented to the board is 30 years, consistent with financing terms tied to the county reservoir. The staff presentation said the remaining unsettled issue is whether Dallas’s retail service area will be fixed for the full 30 years or periodically renegotiated (staff said renegotiation commonly occurs on a regular interval, with arbitration through the state if parties cannot agree). County staff told commissioners they recommended the two documents (the Helping Hands property transfer IGA and the water supply contract) not be executed separately and suggested both be finalized together.

Commissioners and staff noted Dallas City Council was scheduled to consider the Dallas water contract the following Monday; no final board vote on either agreement was recorded in the transcript.

Why it matters: the water contract would govern long-term water supply from Paulding County’s reservoir to a neighboring city, affect who pays for service and could require reallocation of some retail customers between utilities. The Helping Hands transfer ties property redevelopment to the water arrangement, making the agreements interdependent, staff said.

What was not decided or specified: the county transcript did not record a formal vote by the board on either the water contract or the Helping Hands property transfer; final language on whether the Dallas service area is fixed for 30 years remained under negotiation; dates for execution were not specified.

Quotes from the meeting (staff presentation): "Dallas would be able to purchase water from the county at a wholesale rate of $4.73 per 1,000 gallons. Dallas would have a monthly cap of 22,500,000 gallons." — County staff "We're looking at the contract right now ... that seems to be the only area that's subject to negotiation at this point in time." — County staff

Ending: County staff asked the board to consider both the Helping Hands IGA and the Dallas water contract together; Dallas City Council was set to take up the water contract imminently. The transcript shows discussion only and no recorded approval by the Paulding County Board of Commissioners during the meeting.