Note: Arnoldsville City Council member Norma Craddock died on March 20. Craddock had served as Arnoldsville’s clerk and was a city council member for about a quarter of a century. The Echo will have a story about her life in its next issue.
The Arnoldsville City Council unanimously raised certain utility fees during its monthly meeting on March 20.
Council members approved an increase in fees for water service taps and bores, setting new rates at $3,000 for a tap and $4,000 for a tap and bore. The changes come as the cost of infrastructure maintenance continues to rise.
“Ricky (Blevins, a sub-contractor) charges $1,500 to do the bore and the tap,” code enforcement officer Johny Shedd explained. “He said he doesn’t make enough money coming all the way from Madison unless he does the tap and the bore.”
While the increase was met with general agreement, council members wanted clarity on how the new pricing would cover expenses. The previous rates were $2,000 for a tap and $3,000 for a tap and bore.
The council also approved $1,825 for repairs to a well house past City Hall’s exterior, including door framing that had been damaged by termites.
“It needs to have the framing,” Shedd said. “I got to take the door frame out and rebuild the main structure part around the door because ... termites ate them up.”
In addition, the city’s fire department provided updates on its number of calls in 2025 and upcoming training exercises.
“We had 25 calls the first two months of the year,” Chief Heath Baker reported. “We’ve slacked off a little bit in March — I think we only had three or four calls so far this month.”
The department is preparing for an April 12 countywide training exercise, which will include cutting up a school bus to practice rescue procedures.
“That’s training that maybe the one time I get to learn how to do it, in case we ever have a school bus accident,” Baker said.
Firefighters will also participate in Ghost Out, an annual safety event at Oglethorpe County High School on April 11.
“We’ll be the department that has the personnel that does the cutting on the cars, does the whole thing,” Baker said.
Council members also discussed concerns over traffic safety, particularly on Yancey Road, where residents have reported drivers speeding through the stop sign.
“I about got killed the other day,” council member Blake Arnold said. “Somebody ran through it, and they about threw the camper shell off the back of a truck. He was going 50 miles an hour — never saw the stop sign.”
Council members noted that previous efforts, such as adding signage and repainting road markings, had helped reduce accidents, but concerns remain.