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Commissioners approve 20-year exclusive franchise with Water Utility Management over one dissent
Summary
The Camden County Board of Commissioners approved a 20-year franchise agreement with Water Utility Management for water (and limited sewer) service after debate about generators at older well sites and customer concerns; the vote passed 4–1.
Camden County commissioners voted 4–1 July 1 to approve a 20-year franchise agreement with Water Utility Management that updates the franchise terms, tap fees and service provisions for portions of the county.
The contract replaces an earlier 2007 franchise and adds updated language for rate elements such as tap and accessibility fees and clarifies service areas. County staff said the agreement would also allow certain subdivision developers to proceed with conditional permitting while service agreements are finalized.
Why it mattered: Commissioners raised constituent concerns about reliability at older well sites and asked for stronger assurances in the contract that well-site generators would be installed. Commissioner Smith (who voted against deferring earlier) asked that generators be required at older locations such as Elliot’s Plantation; other commissioners noted generators are already being installed at new sites but that technicians for the private utility are based at regional shops.
Commissioner debate: One commissioner moved to defer the agreement to negotiate additional protections for existing customers; that motion failed for lack of a second. Another commissioner then moved to approve the franchise; the motion passed by a 4–1 vote. No specific amendment or written guarantee about generator installation was added to the approved agreement at the meeting.
What the county said: Staff said the agreement had been reviewed by county attorneys and followed multiple rounds of negotiation with the utility. Commissioners were told the franchise could support expanded service in the county’s north end and could enable permit issuance for homes in subdivisions once a final service agreement is reached.
Next steps: County staff said they will finalize the executed franchise and continue work with the utility and developers on service agreements and permitting. Commissioners who raised reliability concerns asked staff to continue monitoring utility commitments and to seek firm timelines for generator installations at older well sites.
