With the backing of the mayor and City Council, Roswell is moving forward with plans to build a new $16 million treatment plant for its fledgling water system.
But not everyone is thrilled with the idea.
“I don’t think we should be paying for things we don’t need,” resident Janet Russell told the City Council Monday night shortly before it voted 6-0 to apply for a state loan to pay for the project.
Russell is one of some 14,000 people served by Roswell’s water department, about 18 percent of its population. The rest of the city receives water from Fulton County. During some summer months, even the Roswell city system buys water from Fulton.
With nearly 300,000 residents of north Fulton receiving their water from either the county or Atlanta, Russell asked, why should Roswell spend $16 million to supply the customers of its small system?
Mayor Jere Wood said Roswell needs to protect itself.
“When someone has a monopoly with no competition at all, prices rise,” he said. “By having our own system, we stay in the game.”
Wood noted Sandy Springs has a long-running dispute with Atlanta over its water charges and has few other options.
“That will tell you what happens when you’re 100 percent dependent upon someone else who has no competition,” he said.
Roswell’s existing water treatment plant is 80 years old. Funding for the new facility will come through a low-interest Georgia Environmental Finance Authority loan. Only those residents serviced by the new plant will pay on the loan, about $1 extra a month on their water bill, city officials said.
Public Works Director Stuart Moring estimated that over the 20-year term of the loan, the city will save about $12 million in reduced water purchases from Fulton County, lower costs of water production and lower repair and maintenance costs.
There were several residents at Monday’s meeting who complained they weren’t aware the city was considering the $16 million upgrade.
But Roswell spokeswoman Julie Brechbill said Tuesday the city advertised the plan and held three public information meetings this year. For the final meeting on June 14, the city mailed announcements to all water customers, she said.
In addition, she said, there were six public works committee meetings and a City Council work session to discuss the topic. All were open to the public.
Resident Lee Fleck asked why there are no plans to expand the service to bring more of Roswell online and questioned the feasibility of spending such a sum just to maintain current needs.
Roswell cannot expand its water service area without a new agreement with Fulton County, Moring said.
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