Toccoa Approves New Franchise Agreement with Lavonia

Toccoa approves a new franchise agreement with the city of Lavonia.

City commissioners unanimously voted to adopt the agreement at its meeting on Monday, February 10.

Toccoa City Manager Billy Morse said a franchise agreement is something Toccoa has with Lavonia and all of the cities that Toccoa’s natural gas system passes through.

He said the city’s current franchise agreement with Lavonia has expired.

“The franchise agreement allows us to do business within rights-of-way of those cities we pass through,” said Morse.  “Otherwise, we would have to acquire our own property and maintain that property.  In return, we pay each of those cities three percent of the revenues we collect from those customers within their corporate limits.”

The agreement approved by city commissioners extends the same terms of the previous agreement for a 30-year period.

Morse said that under the franchise fee remains the same in this agreement with Lavonia.

In addition, he said under the agreement, Lavonia is responsible for maintaining those rights-of-way that the city uses.

In other news from the February 10 Toccoa City Commission meeting, city commissioners opened bids for a bucket truck for the Public Works Department.

The city received two bids and commissioners voted unanimously to remand the bids to staff for its review to make a recommendation back to the city commission at a future meeting.