THOMASTON CITY COUNCIL HIKES WATER AND SEWER RATES

ON A  2-1 VOTE THE THOMASTON CITY COUNCIL APPROVED A RATE INCREASE FOR WATER AND SEWER AT A CALLED MEETING MONDAY.

MAYOR PRO TEM DOUG HEAD AND OUTGOING COUNCILMAN GARY ATWATER WERE ABSENT. PATSY PERDUE MADE THE MOTION AND COUNCILMAN RYAN TUCKER VOTED FOR IT. DON GREATHOUSE WAS OPPOSED— AND HIS OPPOSITION BROUGHT A STRONG RESPONSE FROM MAYOR HAYS ARNOLD  WHO  FAVORED  IT.

 IT   TOOK TWO MOTIONS TO GET IT PASSED . AFTER SOME DISCUSSION COUNCILMAN TUCKER ADDED A 2ND AND VOTED FOR IT. HE AGREED —PROVIDED COUNCIL SITS DOWN WITH CONSULTANT JOHN HEWITT IN THE NEW YEAR AND CONSIDERS A POSSIBLE REDUCTION IN ELECTICAL RATES.

THE NEW RATE EFFECTIVE JAN. 1ST WILL INCREASE WATER AND SEWER 78 CENTS A MONTH FOR A 1000 GALLON CUSTOMER AND AVERAGE HOUSEHOLD USE OF 5000 GALLONS WILL GO UP $3.90 PER MONTH. CITY MANAGER PATRICK COMISKEY SAID HEWITT'S LATEST FIGURES SHOW A NEED FOR AN EVEN STEEPER HIKE IN WATER AND SEWER RATES THAN THE ONE PASSED MONDAY.

MAYOR ARNOLD SAID THE RATE HIKE IS NEEDED SO THE WATER AND SEWER DEPARTMENT CAN MOVE CLOSER TO PAYING ITS OWN WAY—SOMETHING COUNCILMAN TUCKER AGREED WITH.

THE CITY MANAGER POINTED TO A SHRINKING CUSTOMER BASE TO JUSTIFY THE RATE INCREASE —WATER USE IS DOWN 37% SINCE 2007—YET INFRASTRUCURE COSTS ARE ON-GOING.