Toccoa to bump water rates, appoints Wheeler as City Manager, taps Rider as Clerk

During a busy meeting last night, the Toccoa City Commission approved a water rate increase, appointed acting City Manager Freda Wheeler as permanent city manager, announced plans to appoint former Stephens County Clerk Beth Rider as city clerk, selected commissioners Gail Fry as mayor and Terry Carter as vice mayor for 2024, and set January 22 at 1 p.m. as the time for the annual city planning meeting. 

Additionally, recently elected commissioner-elect Ron Matheson, and re-elected commissioners Gail Fry and Terry Carter were sworn in for the term beginning January 1, commissioners expressed appreciation to Mayor David Austin and Community Development Director Connie Tabor, both of whom are leaving city service after more than 20 years, and Austin gave the city’s year-end report. 

Regarding the water rate increase, commissioners voted unanimously to increase the base rate for water by $2 per month for in-city and outside-the-city residential and commercial customers.

The revenue from the rate increase will be kept in a reserve account separate from the general fund and used solely to pay for what city commissioners and staff term an “unexpected and unexplained” annual increase in Georgia Power’s fees and charges for Toccoa’s withdrawal permit for water from Lake Yonah.

The city has historically paid Georgia Power between $4,000 and $6,000 annually for the 6 MGD (million gallons per day) withdrawal permit that reserves that set amount of water for the city’s usage, plus several additional charges for any water actually withdrawn.

This year, that bill was $167,000 for the 6 MGD permit, not including any of the additional charges for water actually withdrawn.

Commissioners stressed that the rate increase will be solely a pass-through charge to pay the increase in billing from Georgia Power.

\WNEG News will provide in-depth coverage of this decision, and the actions of Georgia Power that led to the increase, in the coming days, as well as providing more detailed information on each of the city commission’s agenda items for yesterday’s meeting in upcoming broadcasts.