DeKalb officials propose 10% annual water-rate increase for 10 years, add customer-advocate office and affordability protections

DeKalb County officials outlined a plan to increase water and sewer rates by 10% a year for 10 years to fund work tied to the county's consent decree and long-standing water system needs.

County staff described the "10 by 10" plan as intended to provide predictable funding for contractors, improve the county's bond rating and cover capital improvements including upgrades at the Scott Candler water treatment plant, replacement of aging transmission mains and new trunk sewers. A staff presenter said the sewer work alone would require funds for trunk sewers "currently estimated at a cost of over $450,000,000 a year." The presenter concluded, "Our proposal of implementing a 10 by 10 rate increase makes sense for all of those reasons." (Attributed in transcript to an administration presenter.)

Why it matters: The county is under a consent decree that requires major sewer-system repairs and monitoring. Officials said delaying investment has increased the scale and cost of required projects; predictable revenue could also help secure additional state and federal funding and support a 10-year capital improvement plan.

Board discussion and next steps

Commissioners and staff discussed how to implement affordability measures alongside any rate change.…