Cobb County Government is investigating ways to alleviate the projected eight percent increase in water rates that will be passed on to consumers from the Cobb County Water System.

Chairman Tim Lee suggested the county look at refinancing the Cobb-Marietta Water Authority's debt. With the current low interest rate, this plan could bring significant savings to the county and its water consumers.

As reported in The Marietta Daily Journal, there was a transfer of $20 million from the Water System to the general fund to help balance the budget combined with a rate increase. This shuffling of funds has been decried by several people, including District 3 Commissioner JoAnn Birrell, as a back door tax hike.