Flowery Branch homeowners want street light help

FLOWERY BRANCH - Flowery Branch subdivision homeowners Thursday night came to City Hall looking for relief from what they say are high and unreasonable charges for street lights in their neighborhood.

City Council agreed to follow up next month on a meeting between Madison Creek homeowners and Georgia Power Company seeking more reasonable street light payment. Fred Richards, treasurer for the Madison Creek Homeowners Association, says those payments are too high; $34.71 a street light and with 18 lights in the subdivision, that's $624.86 a month versus $16.50 in two older subdivisions,and the city, for reasons unknown, is picking up the tab.

"Basically we'd like to get this situation resolved," Richards said. "We're being held hostage by Georgia Power right now. What we want to pay is what people are paying through the government, the government rate."

City Councilman Chris Fetterman made the motion calling for Madison Creek homeowners to meet with the power company.

"Georgia Power, one way or the other, is going to get their rate down," Fetterman said. "They can either work out an agreement with Madison Creek which we would invite them to do, or we'll end up taking over the rights where we get a pass through."

Fetterman said a 'pass through' would simply allow the home owners to pay the city the street light bill and the city would pay Georgia Power at a reduced rate.

"They're still going to lose revenue so why not work an agreement with the Home Owners Association," Fetterman added.

Fetterman said he would not favor another option, which calls for the city to take over all the street lights in all the subdivisions at an annual unbudgeted cost of $65,000. Residents could possibly see the cost of streetlights tacked onto their monthly utility bills.

http://accesswdun.com/article/2010/12/234594