Water prices may “drown” Forsyth County residents if a new water contract with the City of Cumming is not signed.
The 25-year water usage contract between Forsyth County and the City of Coming will come to an end on May 26, 2012. The Cumming Mayor, H. Ford Gravitt believes that residents of Forsyth County may encounter “dramatically higher” water rates on their next invoice if the deadline passes with no resolution. This coming after the City of Cumming again rejected the County’s fifth proposal of the water contract.
Forsyth County currently has 47,000 water utility customers and some 170,000 residents, all will directly be affected if no resolution is reached, also at stake is the economic development and viability of the thriving area. The City of Cumming has two main advantages on the bargaining table: 1. Cumming is one of four jurisdictions with usage rights to Lake Lanier, 2. Forsyth has few alternatives and those that do exist aren’t economically feasible.
Forsyth’s most recent offer attempts to reduce rates for treated water while tripling the rate for raw water. According to County officials, the new contract could save Forsyth residents approximately 28 million dollars over the next 15 years.
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