Utility increase included in city of Albany’s FY 2018 budget

ALBANY — The Albany City Commission approved a controversial $269.9 million spending plan for FY 2018 that includes a rate hike for Albany Utilities customers.

The utilities hike, which takes effect in January, will boost utility bills for Albany residents by an average of $7.68 per month. Those funds will go directly into the city’s general fund, which also drew on $5.5 million from reserves to balance the 2018 budget.

The budget passed 5-2 Wednesday night, with Commissioners Jon Howard, Ward I, and Bobby Coleman, Ward II, voting against. Fiscal year 2018 starts Saturday.

“We are just kicking the can down the road with this $7.68 increase,” Howard said. “I cannot in good conscious balance the budget on the backs of poor folks, and we have a lot of poor folks in Albany.

“I think we need to bite the bullet and pull all that money out of our reserves.”

Ward VI Commissioner Tommie Postell, who voted in favor of the budget, downplayed the significance of the rate increase.

“I think we should go with this budget, and the increase it doesn’t matter if it’s $7.68 or $10 a month, everybody is poor in Albany,” Postell said. “Take the money out of reserves and let people know they have to pay the cost to be the boss.”

The budget agreement was a compromise with commission members who wanted the higher rates to take effect immediately.

“It’s a hard thing to raise rates, but deferring the increase until January was the compromise we reached to get a budget passed,” Ward IV Commissioner Roger Marietta said. “We didn’t want to immediately raise rates while many in the community are still struggling to recover from January’s storms.”

The commission also agreed to hear a billing “round-up ” proposal first brought up several months ago by Ward III Commissioner B.J. Fletcher. Customers would have the option of rounding up their bills to the next dollar. That money would go into an fund, which would be managed by an independent agency to help people pay their utility bills.

Discussion on the round-up plan is expected to take place soon.

In other action items, the commission approved rezoning 502 Cordele Road and 806-808 W. Oglethorpe Blvd. to C-3 (commercial district status) and tabled a request to rezone 2404 Whispering Pines Circle from R-1 to C-2.

The commission also approved renewing the alcohol license for Fat Daddy’s on Clark Avenue, and to transfer ownerships of Little Whiskey River, 2900 Sylvester Road, and R&M Grocery, 707 W. Highland Ave.

The commission also approved the purchase of three refuse trucks for a total $631,844; a Ditch Witch Boring Machine at $196, 477, and two street sweepers at a total of $480,030. Renovation work costing $142,132 on the clubhouse at the Albany Municipal Course was OK’d as well.

The commission also passed four resolutions:

— Authorizing a memorandum of understanding between the city and Albany State University regarding law enforcement services.

— A utility easement through Forest Park Subdivision.

— Two grant applications regarding transportation and transit, and competitive service grant awards.