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City of White approves temporary Bartow County water interconnection; engineers outline 5–10% rate option or larger increase if sewer loans remain
Summary
Council voted 5-0 to proceed with a temporary interconnection to Bartow County using 2020 SPLOST funds after engineer Jay Renew described two scenarios: a 5–10% water-rate rise if USDA sewer loans are retired under a Bartow sewer agreement, or a potential ~40% increase if those loans remain outstanding.
The City of White voted on May 4 to move forward with a temporary water interconnection to Bartow County, approving use of 2020 SPLOST funds to pay an estimated $322,000 connection cost and directing engineers to proceed on a temporary basis.
Jay Renew of Sweitzer Engineering presented two financial scenarios. Under Case 1, if the sewer intergovernmental agreement (IGA) with Bartow County proceeds and existing USDA sewer loans are retired, Renew recommended increasing water base and volumetric rates by at least 5% (a 5% example raised the 3/4-inch base from $14.19 to $14.90 and the volume charge from $2.96 per 1,000 gallons to about $3.10). Using Renew's example, a household using 5,500 gallons would see its monthly water charge move from about $28.99 to $30.40; Renew noted even a 10% increase would leave White's water costs below Bartow County's current $41.46 benchmark for the same usage.
Under Case 2, if the Bartow sewer agreement does not proceed and the city remains responsible for USDA sewer loans, Renew said the city would face a much larger adjustment—on the order of 40% in his model—raising an example monthly bill to about $40.57. Renew and council members repeatedly identified the outstanding USDA loans (approximately $2.5 million, as discussed during the meeting) as the principal difference between the two scenarios.
Several citizens asked whether sewer charges would rise; Renew said the presented increases applied to water only and that sewer charges were comparable to Bartow County's. Councilmember Stephanie Nichelson moved approval of the temporary interconnection in the interest of cleaner water; Councilmember Jean Swank seconded and the motion passed 5-0.
Mayor Curtis Powell and councilmembers said they expect further discussion about rate structure and implementation details at upcoming meetings before any permanent changes are adopted.
