Clayton County approves water authority bond support and new budget rules as sheriff seeks $14.7M from reserves

The Clayton County Board of Commissioners on March 18 voted to endorse a master bond resolution backing the Clayton County Water Authority’s planned borrowing for water-plant upgrades and adopted new county budget rules and a general-fund reserve policy, amid wide-ranging questions about rate increases and a sheriff’s near-term request for $14,676,303 from county reserves.

The board’s actions and the discussion that preceded them centered on long-term water-system work, the county’s fiscal reserves and how to reconcile growing public-safety costs with a desire to build a four- to six-month general-fund balance. The sheriff outlined a separate, immediate funding request that the board did not approve at the meeting and signaled it may call a special session to consider.

The vote to approve a master bond resolution for the Clayton County Water Authority — described in the meeting as necessary to finance plant capacity and regulatory work — cleared the board by a single dissenting vote. The authority’s chief executive, Mr. Franks, told commissioners the county faces roughly $1.4 billion in capital needs for the Freeman Road water-production plant and other projects, and warned of higher household bills if the work is not financed as planned. "If we didn't incur this debt, we would be immediately having to increase our rate to about 26%," Franks said, adding that the financing plan is expected to smooth increases to a lower annual rate over time.

Why it matters: Clayton County officials said the projects are intended both to expand capacity for growth and to address regulatory concerns, including removal of PFAS "forever chemicals." Commissioners pressed water authority staff on the size and timing of the borrowing, whether the authority would bond in phases, and which local fees pay for stormwater work. The authority told the board the $3.75 monthly stormwater fee is for "repair and replacement of stormwater infrastructure," and that average daily water use in the county runs about 28 million to 32 million gallons per day and will need to grow to roughly 42 million to meet future demand.

Discussion highlights and context

- Bonding and rates: Mr. Franks said the authority plans borrowing to expand the Freeman Road plant and to meet regulatory cleanup of PFAS. He said a phased bond approach could raise interest costs or interrupt an active project; conversely, not borrowing now could force a single, large rate spike: "If we did not incur this debt ... about a 26%" increase, he said, while the planned program includes smaller increases (the presenter described an 8% increase in the near term under the financing plan). Franks also said the Water Authority’s debt would be paid from system revenues and not by the county general fund.

- Stormwater and fees: Commissioners asked how stormwater fees are used. The authority confirmed the $3.75 monthly fee funds repair and replacement of stormwater infrastructure, not the water-plant projects.

- County budget policy and reserves: The board approved a resolution rescinding the chair’s exclusive authority to prepare the county’s initial budget policy (Resolution 2025-52) and adopted a general-fund balance policy (Resolution 2025-53) setting a policy goal of four to six months of operating reserves. The second action was passed after the board amended the policy language from "shall" to "should" to ease concerns about immediate compliance. County officials said a four-month reserve target corresponds to roughly $104 million; staff reported current general-fund balance at about $79 million.

- Sheriff’s appropriation request: Sheriff Levon Allen presented a budget amendment request — described by county staff as an appropriation from fund balance for the remainder of fiscal 2025 — in the amount of $14,676,303 to cover salaries, overtime, benefits, contracts and other operating costs. Allen said prior years’ denials of requested positions have driven recurring overtime costs and that he would ask for a larger FY2026 budget if staffing is not adjusted: "If we do not address the issues in the budget and properly staff the sheriff's office again in 2026, I will be asking for an additional $14,000,000," he said. Finance staff and several commissioners pressed for more detailed line-item financials and contract/invoice information before approving such a large appropriation; one commissioner asked for a special called meeting to consider the request sooner than the next regular meeting.

Board action and votes at a glance

- Fireworks annual contract (ITB 25-01) — Award to Southern Sky Fireworks, Sycamore, Ga., $25,000. Funding source: Parks & Recreation general fund. Outcome: approved.

- Resolution 2025-42 (Master bond resolution, Clayton County Water Authority) — Action: board approved a resolution authorizing the authority to issue indebtedness secured by system revenues for water and sewer system improvements. Outcome: approved (voice vote; board recorded one nay and the motion passed; board remarks later indicated a 4–1 split).

- Resolution 2025-49 (Intergovernmental agreement to conduct Forest Park special election) — Outcome: approved.

- Resolution 2025-50 (Intergovernmental agreement to conduct Clayton County Board of Education special election) — Outcome: approved.

- Resolution 2025-51 (Engage attorney for ethics guidance) — Motion to approve did not carry (motion failed when not seconded); item did not pass.

- Resolution 2025-52 (Policy rescinding chair’s initial budget-making authority; designate budget officer) — Outcome: approved 3–2; the resolution rescinds the chair’s exclusive role in producing the initial executive budget and designates the budget officer for administrative budget functions.

- Resolution 2025-53 (General fund balance policy, target 4–6 months; amended language "shall"→"should") — Outcome: approved (amendment adopted; board passed the resolution with amended language).

- Zoning actions: BOC24100458 — Applicant-requested withdrawal of a conditional-use request, approved; BOC24110462 — Rezoning request by County Development LLC (requested to table to April 15 at applicant’s request); BOC24120466 — Conditional-use permit to convert a TriVision billboard face to a digital face at a Forest Park frontage site, approved.

- Executive-session settlement approvals (approved in closed session): auto-accident settlements in the amounts of $250,000 and $500,000; two civil-service settlements for $60,000 and $20,000. The board approved all four settlements; one commissioner recorded an abstention citing concerns about the absence of an independent ethics opinion.

Substantive questions commissioners pressed

Commissioners repeatedly asked for clearer, line-item financial detail and timelines before committing new appropriations or endorsing multi-hundred-million-dollar borrowing plans. Several members urged that the general-fund balance policy be used as a multi-year goal and recommended a separate resolution with a timeline if the board wants a formal schedule for reaching the four- to six-month target. County finance and operations leaders asked the board to give staff a clear policy goal so they can plan departmental budgets and staffing requests accordingly.

Quotations

- Mr. Franks, CEO, Clayton County Water Authority: "If we didn't incur this debt, we would be immediately having to increase our rate to about 26%." (presentation on plant capacity and debt)

- Sheriff Levon Allen: "If we do not address the issues in the budget and properly staff the sheriff's office again in 2026, I will be asking for an additional $14,000,000." (presentation of fund-balance appropriation request)

Key clarifying details (as stated in the meeting)

- Water/authority financing: $1,400,000,000 quoted as the debt needed for the Freeman Road plant and related capacity/regulatory work (source: Mr. Franks).

- Stormwater fee: $3.75 monthly fee is used for stormwater repair and replacement (source: Mr. Franks).

- Water use and capacity: County average daily use ~28–32 million gallons per day, with planning for roughly 42 MGD capacity (source: Mr. Franks).

- Fireworks contract: Southern Sky Fireworks awarded annual contract for $25,000; funding from parks & recreation general fund (presented by central services staff).

- July 4, 2024 event: International Park generated roughly $83,000 revenue and about 7,000 visitors (source: Parks & Recreation director Horn).

- Sheriff finances: Sheriff requested a FY2025 fund-balance appropriation of $14,676,303; earlier-mentioned FY2026 ask to raise the sheriff’s budget from about $57 million to about $80 million (source: Sheriff Levon Allen). Finance staff projected sheriff overtime could exceed the current overtime budget by roughly $3.3 million by year end (source: county finance staff).

What’s next

County staff said they can prepare more detailed financial schedules and, at the board’s direction, convene a special meeting to consider the sheriff’s request before the next regular session. The water authority will move ahead with required supplemental actions to issue indebtedness under the board-authored master bond resolution. The new general-fund balance policy becomes part of the county’s budget discussions as staff assembles the FY2026 budget.

Ending note

Commissioners split along policy lines during several votes as the board tried to balance near-term service and public-safety demands with a stated priority to strengthen the county’s reserves and long-term fiscal health. Several members said they want clearer, itemized financial data before approving further appropriations; staff said it will return with more detail if the board requests it.