During the Milledgeville City Council meeting on March 24, residents shared their concerns about rising utility bills and the overall condition of the city.
Residents addressed the council during public comments. Resident Clay Wood shared his frustration with the sewer and water rate increase that took effect last year.
Wood called around 100 other residents of Milledgeville and found that on average, the bills have gone up $40 to $45 a month. This means the city is pulling in an extra $4 million a year and only paying $2 million. He is concerned that the other $2 million is being wasted.
“If we do not know how much extra revenue we are getting each month, how do we know what we’re doing,” Wood said. “I know money can be wasted and I just want to be sure it is spent the right way.”
Mayor Pro-Tem Dense Shinholster said the money is going to the right place.
“I can assure you we are not wasting one penny of it,” Shinholster said.
Resident Susan Hanson spoke about the trash bags covering fire hydrants around the city.
“I love my town and I think we have great folks in this town,” Hanson said. “But when I see things going wrong, I don’t like it.”
She expressed how there was a trashbag covering the fire hydrant in front of a house that recently burned down on Magnolia Street, and these things do not look good to visitors coming in for Georgia Military College and Georgia College & State University.
Shinholster explained that these fire hydrants do work and cities all over are covering their fire hydrants as well. This is a tactic to mark the fire hydrants status or protect them from environmental conditions such as road salt to melt snow.
Hanson also shared concern about the broken-down homes in the city.
“Those houses on Martin Luther King are terrible. Something needs to be done. This town is better than that,” Hanson said.
However, the city can only do something about those homes if the owners stop paying taxes and leave dilapidated homes. For now, they continue to pay taxes and the city can not do anything about it.
Hanson also said that some of the railroads need work due to potholes and bolts sticking up. Shinholster assured her that the council has tried many times to get the railroads fixed and it is very challenging.
The next city council meeting will be held April 7 at Milledgeville City Hall at 5:30 p.m.