DEKALB COUNTY: Commission votes to raise water bills

To all DeKalb County residents with brown lawns and new low-flow toilets: Thank you so much for doing your part to conserve during this historic drought.

Now, pay more.

That’s the message from county officials. Faced with a decline in revenue, DeKalb commissioners decided Tuesday to jack up billing rates. It’s the way they plan to bring in more money to cover water operations costs as people ratchet back consumption to comply with mandatory conservation measures.

The county borrowed millions to build a new water plant and other facilities. Those loans have to be repaid, and those facilities have to be maintained and operated. The county cut the operations budget, but it was still looking at a funding gap. That’s when officials recommended increasing the rates beginning in October.

The County Commission narrowly approved the increase, voting 4-3 in favor Tuesday. Rates already were scheduled to rise in January, so the decision will give the county an additional three months of collections at the higher rate.

Francis Kung’u, director of the county’s watershed management department, has said the average household will see an $8 increase in its monthly bill.

In other matters, commissioners deferred two potentially controversial proposals: controlling late-night party spots and purchase of an expensive swath of parkland.

Commissioner Jeff Rader wants to use zoning to control where new venues that serve alcohol can open. Nightclubs and establishments open past 12:30 a.m. would be restricted to remote commercial, office and industrial areas and busy live-work-play districts. The ordinance will return for a vote in mid-October.

That’s when commissioners also will consider another issue that was up for a vote Tuesday. They delayed a proposed purchase of 92 acres of green space in south DeKalb over concern about the price of the land.

The county is proposing to pay $6 million —- or more than three times the price per acre than was paid by the current owner two years ago.

The property is part of a developer’s holdings along the South River and would be purchased with proceeds from voter-approved bond sales.