Water rates remain an issue

By the time Yearwood returned to the table, the mayors had left.

Last Friday, Yearwood apologized once again for leaving the meeting.

“I want to tell ya’ll again I apologize. I was called out on a personnel problem and it was an elected official, so I apologize again for that,” he said. “I did not mean to hurt anybody’s feelings or act like I was abandoning ya’ll.”

Winder mayor Chip Thompson was the only mayor present to accept the apology. Auburn mayor Linda Blechinger, Braselton mayor Pat Graham and Statham mayor Robert Bridges had previous engagements and were unable to attend.

WATER RATE ISSUE

Yearwood insists that the county must charge the cities more to cover the actual costs of water delivery.

Barrow County water authority director Myron Garrett explained that it cost the county an average of $1.91 per 1,000 gallons of water just to purchase water from Bear Creek Reservoir.

When the county’s cost for the operation of the transmission line is factored in along with other maintenance and operation costs, the rate rises.

Garrett said Barrow County would have to charge $2.07 per 1,000 gallons just to break even based on yearly sales of 720 million gallons. The current wholesale cost to the county’s customers is $1.68.

For more, see the October 21 edition of the Barrow Journal.