Politics & Government

City Working to Resolve Billing Problems

A transfer to a new billing system has resulted in some customers receiving higher than normal bills.

The Canton City Council is meeting at to discuss and other business.

Open the PDF on this page for the full agenda.

Canton-Sixes Patch editor Rodney Thrash is at the meeting. Follow his live updates on Twitter (@CantonSxesPatch), and we'll compile those messages here a few minutes later for further contemplation and comment.

Find out what's happening in Canton-Sixeswith free, real-time updates from Patch.

7:20 p.m.: Meeting adjourned.

7:14 p.m.: Apparently, the county is discussing a plan to put ballfields at Kenney Askew Park. Canton, which was hoping for its own baseball fields at the proposed , would have access. Hobgood said he doesn't mind that the fields are outside the city limits. "That's still centrally-located in the county," Hobgood said. Rush said the option is less expensive. Council member Amelia Rose said she supports the idea because residents have been promised more ballfields for years.

Find out what's happening in Canton-Sixeswith free, real-time updates from Patch.

7:12 p.m.: Mayor Gene Hobgood discusses an ethics amendment that would prohibit officials from using their position to require employees to do work outside of their normal responsibilities. He said he will bring before the council at a later date.

7:10 p.m.: Council member Jack Goodwin said he will host an energy conservation town-hall meeting at 7 p.m. Oct. 28.

7:01 p.m.: Wood said staff is going through all 500-plus accounts as we speak. Staff is in the process of creating a multiyear history on those accounts. Bills are going out next week. Billing schedules will be back to normal by October.

6:59 p.m.: Rush said the city has decided to compose a letter to people underbilled and overbilled. "Your next bill is going to reflect your actual usage," he said. The letter is going to go out next week.

6:55 p.m.: Wood said very few of the 554 meters were overbilling. Most were underbilling, he said.

6:52 p.m.: Beresford addresses water billing problems that have resulted in erroneous bills. "We may not have needed a water increase," he joked. Beresford inquired about an inaccurate rumor that 1,000 water meters have been replaced and asked, "Why did we spend so much money on water meter replacements?"

6:49 p.m.: Beresford asks Wood to follow up and look at CodeRED again. "I want to have a serious look at (CodeRED) ... and let's get the protection that we talked about for our citizens."

6:47 p.m.: Council member Bob Rush asked how many people were notified. He said he got notified—and he was in Maryland at the time.

6:46 p.m.: Beresford said he got the warning after the tornado passed through the area. "Thank God nobody got whacked," he said.

6:43 p.m.: Council member John Beresford asks about , the city's emergency notification system. He said he didn't get an alert about the . City manager Scott Wood said the system has been "inconsistent at best." He explained that it has to do with the difference between watches and warnings. "We need to continue to monitor to it," Wood said. "I'm not happy with it, either."

6:35 p.m.: Agreement approved. Here's the memo the council just approved. http://twitvid.com/QFPRT

6:33 p.m.: The council is discussing a memorandum of agreement that would give the county the authority to serve as the lead in any dealings with the Georgia Department of Transportation as it relates to construction of a road at Commerce Boulevard and State Road 140.

6:32 p.m.: Bellfray LLC gets the fee waiver.

6:31 p.m.: Bellfray LLC is seeking a fee waiver. The entity is interested in donating 22.7 acres of land above the Bluffs to the city. The entity has to go through the process of getting it zoned commercial. It's not clear what the city would use the property for. "By them donating that, they would get certain tax credits," Hobgood said.

6:19 p.m.: Board of Commission Chairman Buzz Ahrens is at the podium now. On Sept. 19, there will be a transportation referendum public meeting at the . This is required of the Transportation Investment Act of 2010. Click for details.

6:15 p.m.: Officials from are at tonight's council meeting. So is Board of Commission Chairman Buzz Ahrens. They aren't on the agenda. Earlier today, news surfaced that to Highway 20.

6:04 p.m.: Council member Bill Bryan is absent from tonight's meeting.


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