Along with many other cities, Atlanta, Georgia, is considering a stormwater utility to pay for stormwater services and repair and upgrade of outdated infrastructure. The recent record floods may influence that decision. But the city’s residents are up against some financial pressures many others don’t have: Atlanta already has higher water and sewer rates than many cities throughout the state and around the country.
The reason? The city has a $4.1 billion project underway to improve the water and sewer system, which were badly deteriorated; the project includes new sewage treatment plants, pipes, and lift stations. As this article from the Atlanta Journal-Constitution explains, the city was under federal court order to curb CSOs, but one previous mayor chose to pay the fines rather than spend the money on the sewer system itself.
When Shirley Franklin became mayor in 2002, she dubbed herself the “sewer mayor” and made the repairs a priority. However, federal aid she had hoped for didn’t materialize, at least not in the amounts needed. The city has taken on huge debt, which will take decades to pay off, to finance the project, in addition to raising rates. Since 2003, the average sewer and water rate has increased 206%. The article quotes one resident, who has a $218 monthly water bill: “Nobody will be able to afford to live in the city.”
At least one republican senator from Georgia opposes the idea of federal money being used to pay for municipal utility systems, but the Obama administration has at least entertained the idea of a federal infrastructure program that would help fund municipal projects like Atlanta’s. What’s your opinion of federal funding to pay for local infrastructure? Should it be available when needed repairs put an undue financial burden on citizens? Only for major upgrades? Or not at all?