After a six-week delay, DeKalb County raised water and sewer rates Friday by 10%, the first in a decade-long series of increases that will eventually bring in billions of dollars for a countywide infrastructure overhaul — and more than double the average household’s bill.
The county and the Urban League of Greater Atlanta also launched an affordability program Friday that caps water and sewer bills for low-income residents.
“We understand that any increase can be difficult for some households,” DeKalb County CEO Lorraine Cochran-Johnson said in a news release. “This program will help keep water service affordable for our most vulnerable residents while we continue to make the necessary investments to protect public health and support our county’s growth.”
The county has about 180,000 residential water and sewer customers.
Rates will go up by 10% again Jan. 1 and every January through 2034. The first two increases will bring the average household’s monthly bill from about $70 to $84 in a span of five months.
DeKalb County is under a federal consent decree that mandates extensive repairs to its frequently overflowing sewer system to comply with the Clean Water Act. Also, many of the county’s water mains are more than 60 years old and break often.
The county estimates fixing both systems will cost more than $4 billion.
Cochran-Johnson proposed the rate increases soon after taking office in January, as a massive water main break closed a busy north DeKalb road and triggered boil water advisories for days.
The first hike was initially slated for May, but the County Commission delayed approval to work on affordability initiatives. Commissioners eventually approved the rate hikes to take effect July 1, but county staff postponed the rollout while the affordability program was finalized.
In the meantime, the credit rating agency Moody’s last month downgraded its outlook for DeKalb’s water and sewer fund, potentially leading the county to finance infrastructure improvements with higher interest rates. Moody’s said substantial delays in implementing the rate increases could cause a more serious credit rating downgrade.
DeKalb’s new affordability program applies to households with incomes at or below 60% of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s limits for metro Atlanta. That means an annual income no greater than $68,520 for a family of four, according to the application. The program caps bills at 4.5% of an eligible household’s income.
The Urban League of Greater Atlanta is administering the program. Applications are available on DeKalbWaterAssist.org, which also provides phone and email contacts.
“Access to clean, affordable water is a basic human necessity,” Urban League of Greater Atlanta President and CEO Nancy Flake Johnson said in the news release.
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