Opinion: Forsyth GOP Calls Mayor's Water Shutoff Threat Heavy-Handed

A letter from the Forsyth County Republican Party:

The Forsyth County Republican Party (FCRP) is committed to the principle of limited, accountable government whose sole purpose is to serve our citizens – it has no other purpose – and water service is one of the most basic and important services our governments provide. Therefore, the FCRP Executive
Committee calls on the City of Cumming and Forsyth County to work together to resolve the dispute over the water supply Actions by either side intended to thwart such cooperation harms everyone.

We consider Cumming Mayor Ford Gravitt's and the Cumming City Council's recent threat to shut off the raw water supply to the County to be a heavy-handed tactic that is completely contrary to the spirit of cooperation we expect from our elected officials. This behavior has no place in a reasonable dispute between two governing entities, and we call on the Mayor and the City Council to discontinue this tactic immediately.

The FCRP reminds both the City and the County that their respective water departments are not for-profit businesses. Both should seek to minimize the overall cost of providing water to the citizens of the City and County and to divide those costs according to usage. Any excess revenue should be used for agreed upon improvements or returned to the citizens.

The water issue is one of several extremely important issues concerning services provided by our government and our tax dollars. We challenge every citizen to go to the City Council Meetings and the County Commission Meetings and to voice their opinions about the water situation and other issues as
they arise.

Our elected officials are there to serve the public, and to be good stewards of our tax dollars. It is every citizen’s responsibility to remind them of this.