A resolution that could result in the Peachtree City Council obtaining control over the Peachtree City Water and Sewerage Authority (WASA) was approved Aug. 17 by unanimous vote. The vote was followed by a written response from the WASA board.
The resolution to be forwarded to local legislators in the Ga. General Assembly asks for changes to WASA’s enabling legislation.
Above, members of the Peachtree City Council at the Aug. 17 meeting include, from left, Councilman Mike King, Mayor Vanessa Fleisch and council members Terry Ernst, Kim Learnard and Phil Prebor. Photo/Ben Nelms.
The vote came after a July 20 review of options available to the council to retain control over WASA’s ability to expand service beyond the city limits. The council expressed an interest in pursuing two of the four options presented.
Those two options contained in the resolution included: petition the General Assembly to amend the WASA enabling legislation to expressly require council approval of extra-territorial expansion; and amend the WASA enabling legislation to reconstitute the WASA board with a majority or all of its members constituting the membership of the City Council.
Responding to the council vote, the WASA board in an Aug. 17 letter to the council said it does not support the measure.
“While council says there are issues with the authority, we feel they have not made a good faith effort to (A) tell us what those are and (B) talk to us and attempt to resolve any issues at even the lowest level. Council has not formally enumerated the issues or requested a joint meeting with the authority to discuss the issues. Not knowing what specific issues the city has with the authority makes it difficult for the authority to understand the city’s concerns, for the authority to explain its positions, consider options for any remaining issues and then derive possible solutions. As we hope you agree, open and honest discussion is paramount to understanding and addressing any issues that are outstanding,” the letter said.
The letter continued, stating, “Simply put, there is no independent justification for replacing the members of the authority with City Council members. To do so is an affront to the current volunteers who serve and all of those who have served in the past who have done an exemplary job in maintaining WASA. Simply because you may wish to have control over all the aspects of the authority because you have disagreed with some of its decisions, is no reason to change the entire paradigm of the membership of the authority.”
Addressing the issue of sewer capacity, the letter said, “… the authority has significant excess capacity that will not be used even providing for all possible contingencies, many of which are remote at best. Other than raising its rates or reducing expenses from an organization that is already operating on a very tight budget, taking advantage of this excess capacity is the only way the authority can maintain its rates and provide necessary maintenance and repairs should inflation continue or if a larger customer is lost.”
The next step in the standoff between the council and WASA will depend on the action of the local legislative delegation when the General Assembly meets in January.
