Cobb County water customers will see an 11% increase in their bills for water and sewer services next year.
The Cobb County Water System distributes drinking and sewer water to over 190,000 homes and businesses in unincorporated Cobb County as well as the cities of Acworth, Kennesaw, and Powder Springs.
The average customer currently pays $49.42 each month, according to county officials. When the rate increases take effect Jan. 1, those monthly bills are expected to go up $5.43 for the average household.
Cobb County Water Agency Director Judy Jones said the rate increases approved by the Cobb County Board of Commissioners this week will help the system cover reductions in revenues, rising chemical and material costs and plans to upgrade the system’s infrastructure.
She told commissioners Cobb still has the lowest water rates of any utility provider in metro Atlanta.
The last time county officials increased water rates, in July 2018, they agreed to transfer 10% of those revenues from the water fund to the county’s general fund each year.
Commissioner JoAnn Birrell voted against Tuesday’s increase saying she couldn’t support a hike in water rates while money is being transferred out of the water fund. The transfer helps offset Cobb County homeowners’ property taxes. Commissioner Keli Gambrill said it reduces the property tax rate by as much as $0.64 per $1,000 of taxable value each year.
“I’m willing to support the water rate increase because that is something that the end user can control the expense of,” she said. “They can’t control the expense of taxes that are applied to their property ... because that’s assigned a value that they can’t change.”
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