Cobb's Board approves increases to water and stormwater rates

Cobb's Board of Commissioners approved a recommended change to Cobb County Water System's rates over the next five years, including a 2.5% increase in water and a 3.5% increase in stormwater rates.

The new rate structure will take effect on April 1, 2025, and includes annual 3.5% increases through 2029.

Cobb's Water System Director, Judy Jones, told the board that the rate increases are necessary because the county's costs have risen significantly.

"These increases are needed due to the rise in operating costs," Jones told the board. "This includes the wholesale price of water and the increase in construction costs with several large wastewater treatment projects planned over the next six years."

The county's water system receives its water from the Cobb County Marietta Water Authority, which raised its rates earlier this year.

"In the past, we were able to absorb some of those rate increases by using our reserves," Jones told the board. "But we have burned down those reserves, and we no longer have the reserves we had in prior years."

Jones told the board that setting the rates for five years would help the system plan its budget, and other agencies that receive wholesale services from Cobb County could also prepare their budgets.

"This is one of the most proactive measures I've seen us take with respect to water," Chairwoman Lisa Cupid said during the discussion. "Many times it is difficult to make these decisions, and we end having to do a significant increase because we keep delaying it."

Despite the increase, Cobb's water rates remain among the lowest in the metro area and substantially lower than most other major counties.

View the board's discussion on the agenda item here