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Engineering committee to pursue policy on retention ponds and follow up on streetlight audit
Summary
Engineering staff identified about 20 retention ponds with unclear ownership and recommended legal review and code changes; commissioners also discussed funding models and a $500,000 seed allocation for streetlights on Jimmy Dais Parkway while awaiting Georgia Power audit results.
Engineers briefed the commission on two recurring infrastructure issues: unclear ownership of neighborhood retention ponds and requests to add streetlights on state and local roads.
Dr. Charlie Malik (engineering) said staff has identified roughly 20 ponds that currently lack clear ownership and many more (an inventory of 700+ ponds) that are tracked for stormwater permit obligations. He said some ponds are tied to dissolved LLCs or private entities and therefore present enforcement and maintenance gaps. Malik recommended legal review to explore mechanisms such as developer personal guarantees, surety instruments, or transition pathways to convey ponds to the city when appropriate. The committee asked engineering, planning and legal to work jointly to draft proposed policy/ordinance language and to provide a district‑by‑district list of affected ponds and any tax status concerns.
On street lighting, Malik reviewed a two‑step approach: prepaying construction costs to reduce ongoing operation & maintenance (O&M) fees or allowing Georgia Power to incorporate the lights into the utility billing model. The commission previously approved about $500,000 in seed funding (ARP or capital) to cover roughly 24 lights on a section of Jimmy Dais Parkway; staff said GDOT will not install lighting on that state route and local funding and permits are required to proceed. Commissioners asked staff to wait for the Georgia Power audit results before making additional commitments; the committee agreed to a follow‑up meeting once Georgia Power and staff present the audit results.
What comes next: engineering and legal will review ownership and tax paths for the ~20 problematic ponds, draft policy options regarding developer sureties and HOA obligations, and provide an itemized, district‑by‑district list to the commission. Staff will also bring Georgia Power’s audit results back to the committee for a comprehensive decision on infill and state‑route lighting.
