DeKalb
Water has become the poster-child for “Privatization” of government “services”
in Metro Atlanta.
Water
Agency in Turmoil, AJC, 3/11/18 sites that a federal judge ordered DeKalb to
fix its leaky water and sewer systems and the price tag is $700 million for the
upgrade. DeKalb consumes 70 million gallons of water each day. DeKalb Water had
189,816 metered connections in 2014 and
serves 681,893 individuals.
If
DeKalb metered connections can be estimated at 200,000 for 2018, we can do some
math to understand the cost to consumers.
$700 million divided by 200,000 customers is $3500 per customer. If the 200,000 customers pay $250 million per
year, the average cost per consumer is $1250 per year.
In
2016, Watershed operating revenue for the year totaled $252 million compared
with operating expenses of $166 million resulting in an operating income for the
year of $86 million. Watershed continues to focus on the planned capital
improvement program.
If DeKalb Water actually needs to spend $700 million
on their system and they only have $250 million a year, it would take 2.8 years
to complete the upgrade if they had no other expenses. In reality, I’m sure
they spend the $166 million a year on staff salaries and emergency repairs and
slush their $86 million profit into the DeKalb County general fund to piss away
on other things.
That’s what happens when counties base their
financial decisions on political “priorities” instead of financial
priorities. Water and Sewer Systems and
roads are the most expensive pieces of infrastructure the county has and should
be the first priorities. If manufacturing companies can figure out how to
minimize downtime, counties should be able to do the same.
This looks unsustainable and that makes DeKalb Water
a perfect candidate for the kind of privatization all European countries have
accomplished since the 1980s.
Norb
Leahy, Dunwoody GA Tea Party Leader
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