City Discusses Proposed Water Agreement with Dillard

The City of Clayton held a work session yesterday evening.

The council discussed the water rate for the city of Dillard, as well as the ongoing situation with the Rabun County Board of Education.

Regarding the water rate for the city of Dillard, councilman Buff Green asked whether or not the proposed agreement was as fair as it could be for both sides and if it eliminates any confusion that may arise later on.

City Attorney Mitch Baker said that while it is impossible to eliminate all potential problems, he feels the agreement comes close.

“This I think is a very good shot at trying to eliminate as many of those issues as you can,” said Baker. “Regardless of what the numbers are, I like that there’s a formula that’s in here, and there’s some flexibility within the formula.”

Baker said that should the wholesale water rate with the Clayton Rabun County Water and Sewer Authority go up, causing an increase in the cost of water, there flexibility in the agreement raise the water rate for the city of Dillard to compensate for that.

“This gives us the authority to change that with 30 days notice,” said Baker. “It’s not arbitrary, so it’s not unfair to Dillard, but it doesn’t bind the city of Clayton.”

As discussed at the Clayton Rabun County Water and Sewer Authority’s meeting last week, Clayton’s proposed water rate to the city of Dillard is $3.61 per thousand gallons.