Water authority adopts 12‑month hardship policy for capital recovery fee after board debate on administration

The Spalding County Water and Sewage Facilities Authority unanimously approved a hardship policy for the water capital recovery fee that allows qualifying residential customers to spread the capital fee over 12 months. The finance committee recommended the policy and the board voted 8‑0 to adopt it.

Authority staff described the policy as providing temporary relief rather than reducing the fee. Applicants must submit justification and documentation; acceptable grounds discussed in the meeting include job loss, loss of income, medical emergencies, natural disasters and death in the family. Staff said the authority would require income verification and supporting records, and that approval would be made on a case‑by‑case basis with a short decision window.

Board members voiced operational concerns about how the policy would be administered. One member asked how medical hardships would be verified given privacy protections such as HIPAA; another asked how missed payments would be policed, whether nonpayment could lead to meter removal, and how much administrative burden would fall on staff. Staff responded that the policy grants the general manager discretion to request documentation and make determinations, that the authority would bill and track payments itself (not through the City of Griffin billing system), and that failure to pay could ultimately result in meter removal under the policy.

Supporters — including Authority member Miss Feeney — said the policy targeted single‑family households suddenly facing hardship, such as a well failure that forces a resident to connect to county water and incur capital costs they cannot pay up front. The policy includes an appeals path if an applicant disagrees with a staff decision.

The board approved the policy after discussion and expressed intent to refine administrative procedures as needed.