Live: City Council Tables Decision on Water Rates

A Charlotte, NC, company has recommended that Canton . City manager Scott Wood will bring up the topic during his report at the . See 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.

9:01 p.m. And it's done.

9 p.m. The motion passes. Tanner quickly makes a motion to adjourn.

8:59 p.m. The last item is a request to remove the Hickory Flat Road extension project from the regional transportation plan.

8:58 p.m. A motion passes to approve a consent order on the wasterwater treatment plant. One more item and we can adjourn.

8:58 p.m. The original bid will stand as is. Beresford withdraws his motion, and the council approves that withdrawal.

8:46 p.m. The president of the company is a resident of Canton.

8:46 p.m. He says the city's roads are in bad shape.

8:44 p.m. He says there was nothing wrong with the way the bid package was put together.

8:42 p.m. The president of the construction company that received the bid Beresford wanted to rescind is up at the podium.

8:40 p.m. Beresford calls the bid a "$110,000 error," but he decides to withdraw his motion.

8:39 p.m. Rush agrees with Tanner. He says the council already approved another bid with another company. He says the city should keep its word.

8:37 p.m. Tanner doesn't agree with the motion. People won't want to do business with Canton if this is how the council continues to operate, she says.

8:36 p.m. Beresford wants the council to rescind the contract it already voted on.

8:34 p.m. Beresford wants an engineering firm to bid out the street paving. That's the motion on the floor.

8:31 p.m. The meeting now exceeding 2.5 hours, most of the public has cleared out, except for the city staff and journalists.

8:29 p.m. Under council-introduced items, Beresford raises a discussion about the street-paving bid engineering report.

8:26 p.m. The motion passes. Bike lanes at Heritage Park, it is.

8:26 p.m. A motion is on the table to paint the bike lanes—with removable paint.

8:24 p.m. The mayor of Ball Ground claims he broke his shoulder on a bike, Hobgood says.

8:23 p.m. Tanner says she has no problem with the lanes as long as they're courteous of pedestrians.

8:22 p.m. Hobgood asks if bike lanes are appropriate at Heritage Park.

8:21 p.m. Wood says the staff needs direction: Do you want bike lanes or not?

8:20 p.m. A mockup of bike lanes at Heritage Park has been sent to council members via email.

8:16 p.m. The council approves Wood's request.

8:16 p.m. Wood asks the council to approve a $32,000 contract with Canton firm Strickland Construction for emergency repairs.

8:15 p.m. Wood says there's a sewer line rupture on the Cherokee Overlook/Hillcrest Main sewer line.

8:14 p.m. There's a motion on the table to approve a higher deductible on property and casualty insurance. The motion passes.

8:13 p.m. Next up: a decision on the property and casualty insurance deductible, then action on Cherokee Overlook/Hillcrest Main sewer line replacement.

8:12 p.m. The motion passes.

8:12 p.m. There's a motion on the table to use Ryman Engineering to solicit bids for the roof on City Hall.

8:11 p.m. But the cost estimates by the city's consulting engineer run between $200,000 and $450,000.

8:11 p.m. The city has $100,000 appropriated in the current budget for that purpose.

8:09 p.m. Now the council is talking about repairs to the City Hall roof.

8:08 p.m. The motion passes to table the water and sewer discussion until May.

8:07 p.m. A motion is on the floor to table the vote until the May meeting.

8:07 p.m. Increasing the rates would reduce the "bleeding" from $2 million to $600,000 a year, Bryan says.

8:05 p.m. "The water and sewer fund is bleeding $2 million a year," Bryan says.

8:02 p.m. Hobgood says the city has a meeting coming up with the Cherokee Water and Sewerage Authority.

7:59 p.m. Bryan says that if the council doesn't raise rates 23 percent tonight, the city will have to raise rates 29 percent next month in order to pay the debt due Sept. 1.

7:58 p.m. Hobgood says that if the city makes no headway with the Cherokee Water and Sewerage Authority in the next 30 days, he'll support a hike.

7:57 p.m. Hobgood says, "A rate increase ought to be our last choice."

7:55 p.m. Beresford says everyone should have been involved in the discussion, and he slams down his papers. Rose seconds Beresford's motion to postpone action.

7:54 p.m. He's slamming Wood and Chief Financial Officer Scott Price about using one council member to push their agenda.

7:54 p.m. Beresford says he wants to hold off on a hike until the city can look at a possible merger with the Cherokee Water and Sewerage Authority.

7:52 p.m. If the increase is done by June 1 instead, Bryan said the rate should go up by 29 percent.

7:52 p.m. Council member Bryan has presented a slideshow and proposed a 23 percent water and sewer rate hike by May 1.

7:34 p.m. In October 2009, the city borrowed $8 million to complete the reservoir.

7:31 p.m. On Sept. 1, $1.5 million in debt payments will be due.

7:30 p.m. No cash will be available as of Sept. 1, Bryan says.

7:28 p.m. "We're heading for a real crisis in our water department," Bryan says.

7:28 p.m. Expenses are exceeding revenues at a rate of $2 million a year.

7:28 p.m. Canton has been upside down in that area because of the reservoir.

7:26 p.m. Council member Bryan is talking about "expenses exceeding revenues in water and sewer."

7:26 p.m. Next up: water and sewer rates.

7:25 p.m. After a lengthy discussion, Hobgood has asked the city attorney to prepare something in writing so the council will know exactly what it is voting on.

7:09 p.m. This discussion stems from a request the former city clerk made to stay on the city's plan.

7:06 p.m. Anybody who stays with the city long enough to retire should be eligible, Hobgood says.

7:05 p.m. Next topic: health insurance retiree class designation.

7:03 p.m. The $20/$30/$40 motion passes.

7 p.m. Tanner suggests a minimum of $35 for city residents and $50 for nonresidents.

6:58 p.m. And there will be no restrictions. Nonresidents can use it, too. Hobgood says the rates are still lower than the Cherokee landfill.

6:56 p.m. Bryan introduces a motion: $20 per vehicle, an additional $30 for trailers, and $40 for box trucks. A lot of proposals are going back and forth.

6:55 p.m. Wood says his approach is to not limit it to city residents "if it's to make money."

6:53 p.m. Currently the fee is $10, and everyone can use the site, nonresidents included. The proposal is to limit it to city residents.

6:52 p.m. The suggested fee increase is $20 per vehicle, an additional $20 for a trailer, and $40 for a box truck.

6:51 p.m. The discussion continues.

6:51 p.m. The motion to close the site fails.

6:49 p.m. The reason people are coming from Jasper and Woodstock is because Canton's rates are too cheap, Bryan says.

6:46 p.m. Hobgood tells a story of nonresidents using the site.

6:46 p.m. "We need to be saving money every way we can right now, and closing it is the best thing," the mayor says.

6:45 p.m. Hobgood says that the city is losing a $100,000 a year on the site.

6:44 p.m. Bryan says if the city shuts down the site, Canton will have a "junked-up-looking mess."

6:43 p.m. The current collection site fee is $10 per vehicle.

6:42 p.m. Tanner says she's not in favor of shutting the site down. Now Ward 2 council member Bill Bryan is speaking.

6:42 p.m. Several council members have referred to it as a "leaky bucket."

6:42 p.m. Ward 1 ouncil member Pat Tanner proposes raising the fees this year and allowing the site to support itself.

6:41 p.m. He gets a second. Council member Rush says the city lost $6,000 or $7,000 on the site in January.

6:41 p.m. Beresford introduces a motion to shut the trash collection site down on May 1.

6:40 p.m. The city manager begins his report. The trash collection site will be limited to Canton residents, he says, effective May 1.

6:39 p.m. The city set utility deposit rates, which become effective in the morning.

6:38 p.m. The council has moved to old business.

6:37 p.m. Wood says he can see whether the city can obtain a letter.

6:37 p.m. Wood says Walmart has its own insurance and that there's no provision requiring a copy be forwarded to the city.

6:36 p.m. She wants to know whether the city will be furnished with a copy of insurance—to relieve the city of any liability, she says.

6:34 p.m. Ward 3 council member Amelia Rose has a question about another item: after-hours construction at the .

6:34 p.m. Ward 3 council member John Beresford wants to know if new businesses will be included that "opportunity zone" plan. Hobgood says yes.

6:34 p.m. The council is discussing that plan now.

6:33 p.m. The consent agenda includes an urban redevelopment plan between Canton and Ball Ground for economic development.

6:32 p.m. The council approves the amendment to the agenda.

6:31 p.m. City Manager Scott Wood wants to amend the agenda. He wants to discuss and take action on the city's utility deposit rate.

6:29 p.m. Mayor Hobgood acknowledges local law enforcement for their service during the of Woodstock.

6:28 p.m. On the alum pond behind the Lofts apartments, Rust says the city has an attractive nuisance.

6:28 p.m. Ward 2 council member Jack Goodwin responds to Rust and says there is a removable form of paint. Rust reiterates that it would have to be ground off.

6:26 p.m. "Doing it (painting) does not remove easy," Rust says.

6:25 p.m. He says painting at the park should not take place. If it needed to be removed, it would require a "grinding" process.

6:23 p.m. I almost never see anybody, says.

6:23 p.m. It's very rarely used, he says.

6:23 p.m. The time there are bikers on that thing is rare, he says.

6:22 p.m. On , he says he feels it is going to be desecrated.

6:21 p.m. And it's losing money, he says.

6:20 p.m. But he says the city charges too low a fee for the site.

6:19 p.m. About the trash collection site on Ridge Road, he says the people who run it do a really good job. They run a really tight ship.

6:18 p.m. Next up: John Rust.

6:16 p.m. If it was placed on the National Register, Canton could get revenue to help pay for a road, Cadle says.

6:15 p.m. Cadle says the city has been procrastinating on getting the cemetery moving.

6:14 p.m. Today, there are 240 gravesites available at the city-owned cemetery.

6:13 p.m. Cadle is now talking about the cemetery.

6:12 p.m. Mayor Gene Hobgood says he's never seen them.

6:12 p.m. Next up: John Cadle. He has two items: the 50 pictures of mayors that are "languishing" at .

6:12 p.m. Minick has completed her report.

6:11 p.m. The project protects the river and ensures 200,000 gallons of water won't need to be treated per year.

6:10 p.m. The cistern project was paid through grants.

6:09 p.m. The alliance has an at Fire Station 3, which uses cisterns and rain water instead of potable water.

6:07 p.m. The alliance hopes to develop a blue trail system through the whole Upper Etowah River.

6:07 p.m. The alliance trains local citizens to monitor streams.

6:06 p.m. By the end of this year, the alliance will reach 5,000 students.

6:05 p.m. As far as education goes, the alliance has been working with different schools in the city and county.

6:05 p.m. The alliance uses solar instead of coal power and is paid 17 cents a kilowatt-hour, she says.

6:04 p.m. She says the alliance sells all of its energy back to Georgia Power, and "they pay us."

6:03 p.m. She's giving an annual report of what the alliance is up to.

6:02 p.m. And we're off: Diane Minick of the Upper Etowah River Alliance is at the speaker's podium.