Mike BabbDALTON, Ga. – The white elephant in the room – the subject of what will happen with Dalton Utilities in a consolidated city/Whitfield County government – surfaced as a topic of serious discussion Wednesday.
It was the first time the subject had come up since the charter commission began meeting two months ago. The commission is studying the feasibility of merging Dalton’s and Whitfield’s governments.
Dalton and Whitfield County are the first Georgia governments to attempt consolidation with a public utility in the mix.
The city of Dalton owns the utility company and receives about 5 percent of its gross revenue, to the tune of about $9 million last year, which was more than one-third of the city’s entire budget.
A council-appointed board oversees the utility, which provides water to both city and county residents. The utility also owns a fiber-optic Internet and television division and its residential electric service, which is governed by state law, is restricted to primarily within the city limits.