Dawson City Council addresses budget, fire fee, wastewater spending

DAWSON — Dawson will enter its new fiscal year without an adopted budget as city officials work toward a September public hearing, while residents could also face a new monthly charge to help fund the fire department.

The Dawson City Council on Thursday approved temporary spending authority beyond the Aug. 31 end of the current fiscal year and discussed a proposed fire service assessment on approximately 1,800 utility customers inside the city limits.

Council also approved more than $140,000 in wastewater treatment plant equipment and project work, restarted the police department’s K-9 program and heard from a local business owner disputing thousands of dollars in utility charges stemming from a water meter the city acknowledged had not been properly read.

The council discussed creating a fire service district and imposing a special assessment on utility customers inside the city limits to help fund the Dawson Fire Department. City administration initially proposed a charge of $10 to $15 per month. Officials said the department’s annual budget is slightly more than $1 million and that approximately 1,800 utility customers would be subject to the assessment.

At $10 per month, the charge would generate approximately $216,000 annually. At $15, it would generate about $324,000.

Council members leaned toward a lower amount during the discussion, with $8 per month emerging as the preferred starting point. Officials said the money would be maintained separately and used specifically for fire services. No final assessment was approved Thursday. City officials told the council the amount could be discussed this month and brought back for a vote next month.

Dawson’s fiscal year begins Sept. 1, but city officials said the 2026-27 budget will not be adopted before the fiscal year begins. The council approved Ordinance 2026-12, allowing city expenditures to continue beyond the Aug. 31 end of the current fiscal year while officials complete the new budget.

The meeting agenda specifically described the ordinance as temporary spending authority, allowing continued city operations if the Fiscal 2027 budget was not adopted by Aug. 31.

A proposed budget was presented in connection with Ordinance 2026-13 but was not adopted Thursday. The council instead scheduled a public hearing for Sept. 17 at 5:30 p.m., with the budget expected to return for adoption after the hearing. Residents who want to review the proposed spending plan before the hearing should request a copy from the city if it is not otherwise made publicly available.

Council approved a series of expenditures associated with Dawson’s wastewater treatment system, including replacement pumps and additional work on the larger treatment plant project.

A $16,416.60 sludge pump was approved to replace equipment that officials said is no longer functioning properly. Council also approved a $15,000 bypass pump associated with the Tyson Foods wastewater system. Both pump purchases are to be funded through SPLOST revenue.

Council additionally approved a $109,886 change order for two additional aerators and a new control panel, funded through the wastewater project’s supplemental work allowance. Together, the three items total $141,302.60.

Officials said much of the equipment at the treatment plant is aging and either needs replacement or significant work.

The city also reported progress on the broader wastewater project. Rebuilt clarifiers are back online, while reconstruction of the influent pump station is approximately one-third complete.

Local resident and business owner Robert Albritton appeared before the council to dispute a utility bill that had climbed to roughly $6,000 after the city discovered his property still had an older water meter that was not being read electronically. City staff acknowledged the meter had not been replaced when other meters in the system were upgraded. Because the old meter was not being captured by the city’s electronic reading system, Albritton had continued receiving minimum water charges even as he continued paying the utility bills sent to him.

The city’s meeting agenda identifies Albritton’s utility bill as one of two scheduled public comments Thursday. City staff said they reviewed his historical usage and calculated a $4,335.33 credit, which would leave a balance of $1,720.61, including other utility charges.

Albritton disputed the remaining amount, repeatedly emphasizing that he had paid the bills presented to him and questioning why his meter had not been replaced when others across the city were upgraded. City officials acknowledged the failure to identify the old meter was an error on the city’s part. Albritton was directed to meet again with city staff to review his individual bills, payments and the calculations used to determine the proposed credit.

The council approved an agreement to restart the Dawson Police Department’s K-9 program. Police officials said grants and other outside assistance are covering much of the startup expense, including the dog, training, food and veterinary care, leaving the city primarily responsible for the assigned officer and certain equipment.

The five-year canine-officer service agreement addresses compensation, city-paid care and equipment, and assignment requirements. Police officials told council the officer selected for the program intends to move his family into the area and described the longer-term agreement as a way to protect the city’s investment in the program.

Council also approved an amendment to the city’s retirement plan intended to reconcile the plan with terms contained in a previous city manager’s employment contract. Officials explained that the employment agreement provided for immediate vesting in the city’s retirement plan, while the retirement plan itself required a one-year waiting period.

The amendment was presented as necessary to correct that conflict and honor the terms of the employment agreement.

Council moved forward with Ordinance 2026-11, adopting Chapter 8 of the Dawson city code governing finance and taxation. The provisions cover more than general budgeting and taxation and include rules involving hotel-motel taxes, purchasing cards and blighted property.

City officials also discussed the long-running effort to complete Dawson’s new website. The city has already paid approximately $6,000 for development, and staff said the site is about 95% complete. The remaining issue involves control of the city’s domain and the fact that its email accounts and new website would otherwise be hosted on separate servers.

Officials said maintaining the arrangement could leave the city paying two companies for hosting services. Staff recommended obtaining the rights to the website the city has already paid for and moving it to the server that currently hosts the city’s email accounts. The proposed change also would reduce monthly website maintenance costs from $150 to $99.

Council also considered a conditional-use request involving property at 1051 Flint Street NE. The matter was scheduled for a public hearing and involved replacing an older manufactured home with a newer one. The address is confirmed in the council’s meeting materials.

The Dawson City Council’s next regular meeting is scheduled for Sept. 10.

The public hearing on the proposed 2026-27 city budget is provisionally scheduled for Sept. 17 at 5:30 p.m. The hearing will give residents an opportunity to weigh in before the council considers final adoption of the spending plan.

The proposed fire service assessment also is expected to return to the council for further consideration, potentially adding a new recurring charge to utility bills for customers within Dawson’s city limits.