Council hears TXU rep
BY CHARLOTTE SMITH Editor

Troup city council members heard from a TXU representative and the president of the Walnut Grove Water Supply Corporation in unrelated matters at Tuesday night’s regularly scheduled board meeting.

Charles Hill, the Tyler area manager of customer operations, attended the meeting to address questions raised at the Nov. 16 council meeting about power outages and supply.

Council member Nancy Boothe, who requested the topic for agenda, told Hill the power at her home goes off at minimum once a week, for both extended time periods such as one to three hours, and very quick restarts.

Her husband has been recording the times and durations, and Hill asked for that specific information. Council member Carole Wilson added that she was aware and had reported many times a transformer that was prone to problems located in the same area as herself and Boothe.

Hill assured council members that Troup has an adequate supply of power, and that there could be areas that needed tree trimming.

Council also consulted Hill on the topic of having unused poles being removed and the expense of having underground utilities. City Administrator Russ Obar said the city may consider opting for underground electricity in a two-block area of the downtown.

Hill noted that underground utilities are six times more expensive than overhead, though they are a standard option for new construction where the difference in costs is paid. It is usually cost-prohibitive to change from an overhead system to an underground for existing construction, he said.

“It’s incredible what underground utilities cost,” he said, adding that switching a city block could range from $200,000 to $1 million depending on circumstances.

In closing, Hill said TXU strives to provide safe and reliable service, and though safety has not been an issue for the city, reliability has, and he would be as responsive as possible to council’s concerns.

Hank Gilbert, the president of Walnut Grove Water Supply Corporation, spoke to the council in citizens’ comments, asking members to consider his group’s efforts to form a regional water district as an option in the city’s search for cost-effective water.

Gilbert’s group has met with representatives from area cities to determine interest in the project and said he believed the cost to Troup to participate in the proposed district would be less than a Lake Striker deal, with costs to be spread out based on volume.

Gilbert’s preference would be to have Jacksonville and Tyler as the water sources for the district, but in the event Tyler is not interested, he said Jacksonville believes they can handle demand. Gilbert invited council to have a representative at the group’s next meeting at the end of January.

In other agenda items, council gave Mayor John Whitsell permission to sign an ordinance making the speed limit 20 miles per hour for the entire length of Colle Street and to place a stop sign at the intersection of Colle and North Georgia. Police Chief Pat Hendrix requested these actions as a response to heavy traffic from high school students using that route to avoid downtown traffic.

Council approved the reappointment of David Wilson, Eddie Jasper and Jeff Hale to the Troup Community Development Corporation.

Mayor Whitsell updated council on the ongoing negotiations with Lake Striker, saying he believed they should be ready to proceed with a purchase option contract at the next meeting with lake officials.

The proposed contract would cost the city $37,000 a year to reserve the rights to buy water.

Following a brief review of Chief Hendrix’s monthly report, the meeting adjourned.

Prior to the council meeting, members convened for a council workshop to hear and discuss the initial findings of a water and wastewater study done by Economists.com. Dan Jackson made the presentation and said the study showed Troup’s water rates were inline with the state average.

Obar said the city will hold a public hearing in the near future to further discuss the issue of rates and the possibility of raising them.