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Marietta utilities: water sales dip but finances steady; mayor cites an $84.8M MEAG refund
Summary
City utility and water authority staff told council that electric and water revenues remain broadly on budget despite a recent drop in water usage; the mayor announced a MEAG tax‑credit refund of $84,796,909.05 that could reduce future fixed costs or help debt positions tied to Vogtle financing.
Council heard routine utilities updates and an update from the Cobb County Marietta Water Authority at the work session, where staff described generally stable financial performance for the Board of Lights and Water and highlighted near‑term concerns about seasonal water usage.
"The Board of Lights and Water continues to maintain a strong and stable financial position," Councilman Kent summarized after the committee review, noting that revenues and expenditures are tracking with the adopted budget and that customer billing and collections remained steady.
Mayor noted a large MEAG‑related refund: "We got a MEAG... got a refund of $84,796,909.05," he said, adding the city’s proportional share would be a fraction of that total and that staff would consider options such as applying the funds toward fixed costs or debt tied to future Vogtle financing.
Griff, representing the Cobb County Marietta Water Authority, told council that November water sales averaged about 72.7 million gallons per day versus a budgeted ~70.25 million; operating income for the month exceeded budget by roughly $489,000, and year‑to‑date net income exceeded budgetary estimates by several million dollars. Griff also noted the authority is managing multiple EPA mandates and several capital projects that are on schedule.
City energy staff discussed MEAG and supplemental/off‑system sales: supplemental sales inside the MEAG family have helped offset wholesale costs in recent years, while off‑system sales vary with market conditions. Staff said plant dispatch and outage timing (Wansley, Shearer, Addison, Vogtle) and spot‑market spikes affect monthly wholesale cost calculations.
