Ila council considers $1,500 proposal on water operations

In the proposal from Dan Elder of Oconee Well Drillers and affiliated company North Georgia Water Systems, the city’s water systems would be under contract for routine maintenance, along with necessary reports made to the EPD. The company’s “Class 3” operators will also handle required sampling along with other related services for a per month fee of $1,500.

The council discussed the proposal and raised several questions Feb, 7, including what is covered under the routine maintenance and what is the length of the contract. Due to these questions the council decided to contact Elder and request a meeting at the next council meeting to detail the proposal and answer council questions before making a decision.

Mayor Mike Coile suggested the council consider a one-year contract and then perhaps increase the length after that year — if the council decides to move forward with the proposal. No objections were raised by the council to the suggestion.

Council member Troy Butler also recommended that either Coile and council member Don Freeman, who both currently hold Class 4 licenses, maintain those so that the city has someone on hand capable of operating the system.

The proposal is $750 more per month then the city spends now, but one of the benefits would be that any issues that might arise with the EPD would be directed to the company and not the city. The Class 3 operators employed by the North Georgia Water systems are also a higher grade than the required Class 4 for the city.

The city will continue operations as normal with the city handling day-to-day until a decision is reached next month.

In other business, the city approved the following actions:

With unanimous approval, the council approved the short-term work program with the county for solid waste management. The agreement is a continuation of the current resolution with the county, without changes.

Ila’s city council also agreed to have the city clerk inquire about setting up a monthly billing with local gas stations for gasoline, where the city can pay with a check. Clerk Susan Steed reported to the council that the Chevron gas card the city currently uses will start to incur a processing fee if the bill is paid with a check. Due to the new fee being added, the council’s opinion was to drop the gas card and seek other measures.

A scheduled flush of the water lines is set for Feb. 26, weather permitting.

The council addressed reports of street lights being out or flickering while in use. Butler recommended the city contact Georgia Power to fix the problems in a timely matter.

The city is still waiting on right-of-way agreements for the widening of Pecan Street, which will be addressed at a later meeting.

The council and mayor were invited to the Eagle Scout award ceremony for Jackson Avant. The ceremony will be at Erastus Christian Church. For his project, Avant completed beautifying projects around city hall and the flagpole. The council is also still interested in having the Scouts perform a flag retirement ceremony for the city with a possible date suggested on Sept. 11.