Marietta utility board adopts mutual-aid reimbursement rate, approves Cobb County meter IGA; finance director reports April power-cost variance

The Marietta City Council, at a May work session, heard updates from the Board of Lights and Water (BLW) on a pair of utility agreements and an abbreviated finance report that showed higher-than-expected generation costs for the April reporting period.

Council member Cheryl Richardson summarized BLW business, including a mutual-aid agreement with Georgia EMCs that sets a reimbursement rate for crews that respond to or receive mutual-aid assistance. Richardson said the motion to adopt the agreement passed, and council recorded the action as passed 6-0 in the BLW meeting. Richardson also reported the board approved an intergovernmental agreement with Cobb County and the Marietta Water Authority to relocate a wholesale water meter near Stilesboro; Cobb County will perform the relocation and Marietta will assume the relocated line after the work is complete. That measure also passed 6-0 at the BLW meeting.

The council’s new finance director presented an abbreviated financial report for BLW showing mixed results. The presentation said monthly power costs were up roughly $280,000 for April and that year-to-date power costs show an adverse variance of approximately $835,000. The director said several generation units were derated in April — including nuclear units at Plant Vogtle — and that the system relied on a coal-fired unit for portions of the period, which raised operating cost. The finance summary also noted increased off-system sales year-over-year and that total revenues for the reporting period were above budget.

Council also approved meeting-related administrative actions tied to BLW business. The council accepted the BLW recommendation for voting representation at the Municipal Electric Authority of Georgia (MEAG) annual meeting: Cheryl Richardson was appointed the council’s voting delegate and Ronald Moll was named alternate; council votes recorded that motion as carried.

The BLW distributed a water quality report, available in print and online on the BLW webpage; Richardson said the system received a strong rating on required water-quality tests.

The council did not change rates or authorize other immediate consumer-facing actions during the session. Staff and council members emphasized the need to monitor generation availability and fuel prices going forward and said they expect some project timing (such as the Cobb County meter relocation) to take place in the fall.

— Clarifying details captured in the meeting included: roughly $835,000 year-to-date adverse variance in power costs as of April; April month-over-month power cost increase of about $280,000; planned Cobb County work to relocate a wholesale meter at Stilesboro; the water-quality report will be available in print and online on the BLW webpage.

The council moved on to other agenda items after the BLW update.