The City of Thomasville will host a Stormwater Utility Public Information Session on Thursday, March 27 from 5:30 p.m. – 6:30 p.m. at the Municipal Building located at 144 East Jackson Street. Citizens are encouraged to join City officials for an important utility service discussion on stormwater management to learn more about how this potential 2026 initiative will impact your property and our community.
“The City’s stormwater system is a focal point of Thomasville’s strategic plan, Blueprint 2028,” said Chris White, City Manager. “Due to aging infrastructure, land use changes from development, and extreme rainfall events, the development of a comprehensive city-wide Stormwater Master Plan (SWMP) was developed by consultants from Goodwyn Mills Cawood (GMC) and implemented in 2022.”
According to White, the SWMP set the foundation for a successful drainage capital improvement program (CIP). “GMC identified 24 drainage CIPs throughout the city where existing stormwater infrastructure, or lack of adequate stormwater infrastructure, creates an ongoing maintenance or flooding issue.”
Additionally, there were 12 capital drainage studies identified which required a more detailed engineering analysis to determine the specific solution. “The SWMP estimated the need to invest approximately $3,742,500 in stormwater capital,” said White. “The approximate capital need does not include 21 problem areas that are being addressed in-house by City staff or future long-term maintenance throughout the community”.
Currently, stormwater upgrades and maintenance are primarily funded by the City of Thomasville’s General Fund, creating challenges to address stormwater needs efficiently. The City’s Stormwater Management Plan recommends creating a stormwater utility or fee to provide a stable funding source for both current and future infrastructure needs. According to Assistant Utilities Superintendent Eric Gossett, more than 60 communities in Georgia and over 2,000 communities nationwide utilize stormwater fees to fund these services. “By law, stormwater fees can only be used for stormwater-related projects and cannot be transferred to other government operations,” Gossett added. “A potential City stormwater fee would be dedicated to stormwater capital improvements, maintenance, and enforcement.”
“Our current stormwater infrastructure continues to be stretched to new limits due to stronger weather events that are impacting our community on a more frequent basis,” said White. “Since 2019, we have spent nearly $3 million on capital infrastructure improvements and maintenance. This potential stormwater fee will help us address the current localized flooding issues while preparing our stormwater infrastructure system for the future."
The public is encouraged to attend the upcoming public information session on March 27 to hear from GMC consultants on the various ways that stormwater management impacts Thomasville.
For more information about Thomasville: Blueprint 2028, Stormwater Management, or the Stormwater Master Plan, please visit www.thomasville.org or call 229-227-7001.