Spalding County authority accepts bond documents to advance High Falls sewer project amid questions about customers and costs

The Spalding County Water and Sewage Facilities Authority on April 30 voted to accept bond documents that allow the authority to issue bonds to finance a new sewer project serving the High Falls industrial site and surrounding areas.

The board voted after a motion to accept the bond documents; the motion to accept was placed on the floor during the meeting and the board completed a roll-call-style vote. Joseph, the authority general manager, told the board the guaranteed maximum price (GMP) contract from the progressive design‑build team totals “approximately $19,400,000 all in.” He said signing would be anticipated in June with construction starting soon after and plant testing scheduled for late second quarter 2026 if schedules hold.

Board members pressed staff on what customers existed to support the plant. One member warned the authority was assembling a large project without firm customer commitments and cited an amount stated in the meeting transcript as “$2,526,000,000,” expressing concern about scale and risk. Joseph and other staff said…