Echols County commissioners say county should assume water authority control; residents seek timeline on code enforcement

On Aug. 7, 2025, the Echols County Board of Commissioners discussed a possible county takeover of the local Water Authority and plans to strengthen code enforcement.

During the public‑comment period, resident David Hambrick asked commissioners to explain why the county believes assuming control of the water system would be beneficial and when code updates and a code enforcement officer would be implemented. Chairman Kenneth Petty said county control was necessary to protect the water supply used by schools and county offices and noted that counsel had been consulted about the matter. Commissioner Justin Staten said many constituents do not understand the consequences if the water system were to dissolve and said the county would seek grant funding to help cover transition costs.

The board did not adopt a formal resolution that night; commissioners emphasized that any transition would take time. Commissioners signaled that they do not intend the county to incur unnecessary costs and that pursuing grants will be part of the approach to finance any assumed operations. The board also said that code revisions would follow once a code enforcement officer is hired, but no timeline was provided.

Several other residents raised concerns about how code enforcement and animal control would be handled; the commission indicated those topics will be revisited as codes are updated. The meeting record shows general support among those present for moving forward with both the water‑authority discussion and code enforcement planning, but concrete steps, timelines and funding sources beyond a plan to pursue grants were not specified.

The board did not take a formal vote on takeover authority that evening; the matter remains under consideration with follow‑up to come at a future meeting.