Coweta County's

Commission decided Tuesday to hold off on paying their dues to a new regional

water commission sponsored by Gov. Roy Barnes.

The board decided

to wait until next month to pay $71,372 to the Metropolitan North Georgia

Water District Committee until they get a clearer understanding of the

group's goals.

Harold Reheis,

director of the state Environmental Protection Division, appeared before

the commission Tuesday and said the committee's charge is to help regionalize

water utilities in 16 counties around Atlanta.

regional approach to water resources, Reheis said local governments will

actually save millions of dollars.

"We'll

have fewer, bigger facilities, instead of a lot more smaller facilities,"

he said.

Although the

commission agrees with some aspects of the committee's ideas, Commissioner

Vernon "Mutt" Hunter said the county has already committed $37

million to future water supplies and is dealing with governments from

Atlanta to Griffin to meet Coweta's rapidly growing water needs.

"I'd like

to see if our plans are going to be thrown out by them, or if they're

going to fit like a glove," Hunter said.

Commissioner

Jim McGuffey agreed with Hunter, but told Reheis the effort was on target

to deal with the region's water needs.

Commission

Chairman Robert Wood, who is the county's delegate on the water committee,

said he was initially skeptical.

After hearing

Reheis speak at the water committee meeting, Wood asked him to appear

before the board.

"I told

him I needed help with Hunter," he said.

The commission

agreed to discuss the issue again at its Oct. 2 meeting.