MORGAN COUNTY
The Madison City Council recently raised water and sewer rates and is now considering doing the same for natural gas services it offers.
According to Rusty Johnson, who serves as the city’s Gas and Water Superintendent, his department is in the midst of a manpower crunch and dealing with attrition brought about by employees retiring or being hired away by other municipalities or companies offering better compensation.
Johnson said that training new employees for positions with water or gas utilities is very challenging and takes more time than it does in other departments. And when an employee leaves, that employee is difficult to replace.
Johnson said that regulatory compliance issues with the Georgia Public Service Commission often take precedence over other matters, but his crews are being pushed to the breaking point.
Johnson told the council he had to move two employees from positions dealing with natural gas issues to the water and sewer department because he didn’t have enough men to handle recent water system problems.
“The past month has been brutal,” Johnson said. “We’ve had one water leak right after another after another.”
The constant repairs are beginning to wear down city employees, with the recent oppressive heat making matters worse for them.
Some of Madison’s infrastructure is beginning to deteriorate, and Johnson said he doesn’t have enough manpower to catch up with everything that needs to be done, including inspecting lines with cameras to find leaks and repair them.
In addition, polyethylene pipes used in water systems can react to chlorine, causing a lot of yards to be dug up for repairs, Johnson said.
Johnson said that some of the city’s sewer lines go back to the 1890s when E.W. Butler was mayor of Madison.
“Those sewers are made of clay, and after 133 years they are starting to collapse,” Johnson said, requiring city workers to do preventative maintenance without an ideal number of crew members.
According to Johnson, his gas department is made up of 10 employees who take care of 118.65 miles of gas mains used by 2,390 customers. The staff consists of a regulatory compliance officer, a location specialist, a meter specialist, Johnson himself (who works in the field as well), and six other employees.
Scott Tolleson, vice president of member support from the Municipal Gas Authority of Georgia (the Gas Authority), was also on hand to explain some of the issues the city faces with its gas utility.
The Gas Authority is the largest non-profit natural gas joint-action agency in the United States, serving 80 members in Georgia, Alabama, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, and Florida that meet the gas needs of more than 250,000 customers, including those in Thomson, Greensboro, Covington, Monroe, Union Point, Eatonton Monticello, and Sparta.
Johnson is asking for two more employees in the water and sewer department and one more in the gas department.
Johnson added that one employee is planning to retire next year and five more are likely to leave in the next six years for various reasons.
Tolleson told Council that on average Madison gas customers paid $698 for the year based on numbers from May of 2022 to May of 2023.
Deregulation of gas complicates comparisons somewhat, but Tolleson said that Atlanta Gaslight offers a rate to seniors and low-income customers that is well below what Madison charges its average customer.
Tolleson suggested raising the current $9 monthly base charge to $12 which would amount to an increase of $36. Tolleson said some natural gas providers charge a base fee between $40 and $60 a month.
Madison currently charges a fixed distribution fee of $4.50 per month, which is earmarked maintenance of the distribution system. Tolleson suggested raising that fee to $4.90.
If implemented, these increases would increase a Madison gas customer’s bill by $56 per year, according to Tolleson.
Tolleson said that Sugar Hill, Georgia has the lowest rates in the state with Social Circle's second lowest, and attributed some of that to Social Circle’s large industrial base.
Tolleson said that Madison has a good mix of commercial, industrial, and residential customers, a positive feature concerning gas rates since cities with heavy residential concentrations generally have higher rates.
Tolleson said that if the rate increase he had recommended were implemented, the city would derive an increase in revenue of approximately $200,000 per year.
City council members were asked to study the numbers and proposals in order to vote on the measures at an upcoming meeting.
Councilman Ed Latham asked if hiring contractors would help Johnson and his crews catch up until new employee could be brought in.