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Study recommends reconstituting Oconee Joint Regional Sewer Authority with new governance, asset transfers under consideration
Summary
A consultant-led feasibility study proposed dissolving the current OJ RSA board and creating a new five-member board appointed by the legislative delegation, transferring collection systems to the authority and pursuing enabling state law changes; the process could take months to a year and requires legislative action.
Council members heard an update on an ongoing feasibility and governance study for the Oconee Joint Regional Sewer Authority (OJ RSA).
The study, funded by the authority, examined alternative governance structures and recommended a reconstitution that would replace the current board with a new five-member board appointed by the legislative delegation. The draft reconstitution calls for members who are not serving municipal officials or county employees. The recommendation also contemplates transferring collection-system ownership and operations to the regional authority and using a larger membership base to spread rehabilitation costs.
Staff and committee members said the proposed changes aim to create a more efficient and financially resilient regional structure to manage treatment and collection assets. The draft includes discussion of weighted voting and financial representation features; those details are still subject to negotiation.
Timing and legal steps: staff said the proposal will require changes to the state enabling law and that it likely will be carried in the next legislative session; committee members estimated the implementation timeline could range from several months to a year because assets, contracts and financing arrangements would need to be reworked.
Council members and staff emphasized the practical goal of improving system maintenance and reducing the burden on individual member cities, but they also raised questions about franchise fees, asset valuation and how the cities would be compensated or protected if assets move to the authority.
No formal vote was required; the update was informational. Several council members asked staff to remain engaged as the work proceeds and to report back on legislative language and the recommended final agreement.
