EAST POINT | City delays lowering water rates | News

EAST POINT, Ga. (AP) - The East Point City Council has delayed proposals to roll back city water bills after officials warned that the rate plan leave the water department without cash for repairs.

The mayor favors the plan to reduce water rates, which has been a contentious political issue in the metro Atlanta city.

Local newspapers are reporting that city water official Roy Barnes told the council Thursday that if a line breaks, there isn't money to fix it.

East Point Mayor Earnestine Pittman has asked that the cap on the city tax rate be removed to help cover a projected $7 million budget deficit in the city's general fund.

East Point is just south of Atlanta.