Officials want 6% hike in water, sewage rates

Revenue needed for over $1B in repairs, upgrades underway.

Dekalb officials are proposing a 6% hike in water and sewer rates for customers across the county.

The possibility of such a proposal — which would mark the first rate increase in several years — had been looming for months, with the county deeming its long- time water billing issues to be resolved and an updated plan for addressing the spillplagued sewer system now in place.

Dekalb CEO Michael Thur- mond said he has previously declined to raise rates until services provided to local residents and businesses were improved. But additional revenue is needed to help pay for the more than $1 bil- lion in repairs and upgrades already underway on some of the county’s most vital infrastructure, he said.

The county administra- tion made its formal pitch during a special-called Thurs- day morning meeting with a committee of the Board of Commissioners. More discussions are planned, but the full commission could vote on an increase by the end of the month.

As currently proposed, new rates would start Aug. 1.

Dekalb has a lengthy history of water and sewer issues, and some advocates would argue there’s still a whole lot of work to be done.

But since Thurmond took office in 2017, Dekalb has dedicated more than a quarter-billion dollars toward the water system, replacing nearly 50 miles of water mains and more than 100,000 water meters. Many of those meters were faulty, helping fuel a yearslong saga of erroneous, extraordinarily high water bills for customers.

The county ended a fiveyear ban on water disconnections for unpaid bills last fall, saying the majority of issues had been addressed and disputes had dropped dramatically.

At the same time, Dekalb has had to address a sewer system that was neglected for decades. More than $600 million has been dedicated to improvements and the county renegotiated a consent decree with state and federal environmental regulators, giving it about seven more years to address areas with repeat sewer spills.

Hundreds of millions more must be spent.