Infrastructure needs overhaul

ALBANY — Albany’s mayor told a local civic club Tuesday that infrastructure improvements — and their likely whopping pricetag — should be one of local officials’ top priorities as they look ahead to the future of the city.

In what he said he hopes will be moves to avert the disaster the city of Atlanta has found itself in — paying a half-million dollars a day to the Environmental Protection Division in fines — the mayor said he and the commission will likely focus resources on replacing crumbling pipes and sewer walls in the coming years.

“We simply can’t support the types of economic development opportunities we would like because of our infrastructure,” Adams said. “It’s something that we have to think about.”

Estimated by the mayor to cost anywhere between $150 million to $200 million for a complete overhaul, the project would include finishing the separation of stormwater and the sanitary sewer systems, Assistant City Manager Wes Smith said.

“It’s a top priority because we don’t want to be where Atlanta is,” Smith said. “At this point, I don’t believe we’re under any kind of EPD mandate, but we’d like to be proactive and move forward with this on our own without the state telling us we have to.”

The mayor also said he plans to try and roll the millage rate back during the next budget cycle after being rebuffed in his attempts to offer a tax rebate to the residents of the city.

“As you may have heard, I went to our city attorney and was told that we couldn’t do that, but me being my energetic self, I went to the people at the (Georgia Municipal Association) and they said (City attorney Nathan Davis) was right, so I would like to roll the millage rate back next year,” he said.

With the city sitting on $22 million in reserves and with $9.5 million cash in hand, Adams said he believes some form of tax relief is necessary.

Following his speech, which focused on the positive aspects of the city, the mayor took a jab at a citizens group that has publicly criticized him and his handling of the city government, asking if any of them had any questions he could answer.

“Is anyone from the Tax Association here,” Adams said. “I was expecting some questions from them.”

Instead of pointed questions from a critical crowd, members of the Dougherty County Rotary Club asked instead about infrastructure and Adams’ comments regarding Albany’s advocacy of a large airport moving into Southwest Georgia.