Spalding County Water Authority adopts meter-size capital recovery fee, sets March 1 rate implementation

The Spalding County Water Authority voted unanimously Feb. 26 to adopt a new water capital recovery fee schedule that charges developers and customers based on meter size and to implement updated water rates March 1, 2025.

General Manager Joseph Johnson said staff recommends tying the capital recovery fee to meter size because it removes ambiguity when a property’s use changes. “By assessing a capital recovery fee based on meter size, it throws away any ambiguity and the potential for a low water user today to be sold to a high water user tomorrow,” Johnson said. He gave an example saying a customer who requests a 1‑inch meter would pay $5,700 under the new schedule.

The new fee replaces the prior structure that separated residential and other customer classes. Johnson said the schedule uses capacity ratios tied to meter capacity and industry standards from the American Water Works Association to set charges. He described the approach as a way to “capture as much money upfront” so the authority does not have to revisit capacity charges later if actual use exceeds original estimates.

Board members asked how the authority will verify actual flows and whether developers could understate demand. Johnson said the authority will use the water availability and sewer availability review to require supporting information — for example, employee counts, property size, or an engineer’s flow report — and that the meter-based fee is grounded in meter capacity tables used by the industry.

The motion to approve the capital recovery fee schedule effective March 1, 2025 passed unanimously. The authority also voted unanimously to make the updated water rate structure effective March 1, 2025; staff said the City of Griffin has already integrated the numbers into its billing.

The board’s vote was unanimous; no members recorded opposition or abstention.