DALTON, Ga. — The Dalton City Council earlier this month held the first reading of an ordinance that would create a fee charged to each water customer that would fund the maintenance and inspection of the city’s stormwater system.

A $75,000 study prepared last year for the city by PFM Group, a consulting group with offices in Chattanooga, recommended financing more city services from fees rather than taxes. It specifically mentioned stormwater fees as well as fees for garbage and recycling collection and for recreation.

Could the stormwater fees be a first step in implementing that suggestion?

Council members seem split.

“I’m in agreement with the stormwater fees,” said council member Annalee Harlan. “But I’m not in favor of fees on recreation, and I’m not in favor at this time for recycling fees.”

Council member Gary Crews says he wants to see how the stormwater fee works out.

“We are going to be collecting this one through Dalton Utilities,” he said. “It will be part of people’s monthly bill. We aren’t going to have to set up any sort of billing process ourselves.”

Council members have asked City Administrator Jason Parker and staff to do a thorough review of the city’s charter. First adopted in 1874, the charter has been changed and amended numerous times during the past 144 years, usually to address a single issue.

“We need to update it,” said Mayor Dennis Mock. “Some parts of it haven’t been updated in many years, and even when it has been changed it has been just a particular section. They weren’t looking at the whole document.”

Council members haven’t given Parker any mandates other than to make sure the language is up to date, that it suits the needs of the city in the 21st century and that the various provisions of the charter don’t conflict with each other.

The study prepared by PFM Group does offer some suggestions that could influence a charter review. For instance, it notes that Dalton has “at least 28 boards, commissions, authorities and committees that provide oversight to the various departments and their functions.” As a result, department heads receive direction not only from the mayor and council but from these commissions and boards. The report suggests the number of boards and committees the city has may be excessive.

Parker video

“I think it is worth looking at these boards to see if maybe some of them could be consolidated or streamlined,” said Crews.

Mock said he thinks the various boards allow citizen input that the city might not get if they were abolished.

“It’s good to hear their opinion,” he said.

Parker says that even if officials decide not to abolish any boards or commissions, a review would be worthwhile.

“We can make sure that all of our boards and commissions are authorized by the charter and that they are serving the function called for by the charter,” he said.

The study also suggests the city have a third party conduct an independent appraisal of Dalton Utilities to determine its value. It says this could help the city set an appropriate level for the annual transfer payment the utility pays the city. By law, the utility must pay the city the larger of $10.5 million or 5 percent of the utility’s total revenue each year.

Mock said that is a suggestion council members still need to discuss.