The Macon Water Authority is counting on local taxpayers footing the bill to prevent failure of the Ocmulgee River levee and address stormwater issues.
As Macon-Bibb County voters consider whether to approve an additional $450 million in Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax on March 18, MWA wants about a sixth of that pie for levee repairs and stormwater projects.
An inspection by the U.S Army Corps of Engineers in 2021 found levee deficiencies that could result in a catastrophic failure during the next flood with possible property damages of over $21 million and an estimated 45 buildings inundated with water in Bibb County, according to the report.
In December, county commissioners passed a broadly-worded list of potential spending projects in the upcoming SPLOST referendum including “a water capital outlay project, a sewer capital outlay project, a water and sewer capital outlay project, a stormwater capital outlay project, or a combination of such projects, to be owned or operated by Macon-Bibb County or the Macon Water Authority.”
Monday, MWA leaders signed a resolution requesting $29 million for levee repairs and $43 million for stormwater improvements earmarked from the 10-year tax collection on the upcoming ballot.
Although the resolution did not make it onto Tuesday’s agenda for the Macon-Bibb County Commission, former commissioner and current MWA board member Elaine Lucas appealed to the county to grant MWA’s request, as did NAACP President Gwen Westbrooks.
“We do want to make sure that the citizens of Bibb County, there’s not an increase where there’s a hardship to our citizens here in Bibb. I am in support of not raising the water prices for the citizens of Bibb County,” Westbrooks said during the public comment portion of the county commissioners’ meeting.
MWA already raised rates Jan. 1 and has indicated more increases are pending due to the number of capital projects and system upgrades that have been identified beyond the levee repair and stormwater needs. .
Lucas said since she was elected to the Macon Water Authority two months ago, she has learned “an awful lot about so many millions of dollars of needs” pressing on the utility in the city with its 200-year-old infrastructure in places.
The former commissioner, who in recent years stood against proposed rate hikes for the Macon Transit Authority, reminded her former colleagues that the same low incomes and poverty rates prevail that affected her stance in 2023.
“The same people are still here with the same low wages and the same needs. And Georgia Power is going up. We’ve got to look at all ways possible to lighten the load on our citizens,” Lucas said.
MWA financial review pending
In 2021, the Authority assumed responsibility for the stormwater system from the county, which had neglected maintenance of the system for decades and faced fines from the state Environmental Protection Division.
Revenues from the water and sewer ratepayers were not to be spent on stormwater, according to the agreement.
MWA waived public fees the first year under the new Intergovernmental Agreement, then began billing all property owners in 2022.
Already in motion are $113 million in bond projects on the water and sewer side, but the Authority’s pending list of future projects is in the tens of millions.
MWA will undergo an intense financial review early this year to plan its long-term strategy, but is counting on SPLOST dollars.
The IGA with Macon-Bibb specifies “the Authority shall only undertake stormwater projects and improvements for which it has a sufficient source of funding from income generated by the stormwater utility, together with SPLOST revenues paid to the Authority under the terms of the agreement…”
Stormwater funds were already included in the 2018 SPLOST when MWA took over the system.
Macon-Bibb County Commissioners Bill Howell and Valerie Wynn represent the county on the Authority and are expected to lobby for the funding.
Next week, the Commission plans to hold its first Committee of the Whole meeting since last summer, but it is not yet clear whether MWA’s request will be on the agenda.
— Civic Journalism Senior Fellow Liz Fabian covers Macon-Bibb County government entities for The Macon Newsroom and can be reached at [email protected] or 478-301-2976.
